Solar Eclipse ML
by Max and Liz believer
Summary: Everything up to ”Max in the City” has happened. Liz is starting to get sick and no one knows what’s wrong. Simultaneously, she is haunted by nightmares are they premonitions of the future or just dreams? Please review!
1. Book 1 Prologue, chapter 1 and 2

**Title: Solar Eclipse ****  
Author:** Max and Liz believer, a.k.a. Josephin   
**Disclaimer:** You know the drill...I don't own any of the Roswell characters, I'm just borrowing them for a while and I will return them when I'm finished.   
**Rating:** R   
**Category:** M/L   
**Summary:** Everything up to "Max in the City" has happened. Liz is starting to get sick and no one knows what's wrong. Simultaneously, she is haunted by nightmares - are they premonitions of the future or just dreams?   
**Author's note:** Okay, after reading tons of Roswell fanfic I decided to give it a try myself. So, I hope you'll enjoy this fanfic just as much as I'll enjoy writing it. Oh oh, and I LOVE feedback!   
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_Prologue_   
  
She could feel the distance decreasing between them, the sound of his footsteps growing nearer. He was gaining on her. Her breathing was labored and her chest ached. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. But she couldn't let him catch her.that would be the end.   
  
He awoke with a startle. Turning on the lamp on the bedside table he worriedly scanned the room. There was nothing there. His room was the same quiet room as ever. Why did he feel like he was in danger?   
  
A stone protruding from the ground put an end to her run and she tumbled to the ground, exhausted. She closed her eyes and waited for the end.   
  
Unsuccessful in trying to push away his feelings of threat, he stood up from his bed and crossed the floor to check on his sister.   
  
Someone, the person following her, turned her around as she was helplessly lying on the ground. She kept her eyes closed. She did not want to look at the man who held the same face as the man she loved more than life itself. The last thing she did in her life would not be to look into the same eyes that otherwise held so much love but now only held malice and hatred. She did not have any energy left to fight him. but she would not go without a fight, if it was the last thing she did. Groping in the dark, her bloody hands came into contact with a nose. "Just a little higher" she thought and found her target. Without a conscious thought, acting merely on survival instinct, she pressed her fingers into his eyes, feeling her nails sink deep into the vitreous body of his eyes. The man wanting her dead let out a cry in pain and released his grip on her, in order to examine the damage she had caused. Seizing the opportunity, she rolled out from underneath him and tried to stand up. But she was too weak. She could feel a numbness spreading in her body. "Nononononono" she thought on the verge on hysterics. She could not pass out know. She had to fight it. It was either that or her life. Then she felt it. The numbness in her body was being replaced with a burning pain, which started in the small of her back and started to spread throughout her whole body. It felt as if she was on fire. Her agonized cry of pain echoed in the black night.   
  
Walking back from his sister's room he suddenly felt an immense amount of pain in his back. He felt like he was being burned alive and he sunk to his knees with one agonizing cry, "Nooooo. Liiiiizzzz!!"   
  
  
  
**BOOK 1**   
  
**Chapter 1**   
  
_Roswell 2000 - one week earlier_   
  
"I really think you should tell him, Liz," Maria said, casting a glance in Max's direction, sitting in his regular booth at the CrashDown Café. He was not looking her way, but was instead staring at the unfinished food at his plate in front of him.   
  
Maria had with sadness followed the withering of Max, of Max's soul, since Liz left him so he could fulfill his destiny. As if that was not enough, the little hope of getting Liz back that had remained in the core of Max's heart had finally completely dissolved into nothingness when Liz had (in Max's eyes) cheated on him with Kyle. Maria had been the closest friend to Max during the summer.   
  
While Michael had tried to come to terms with his own destiny of being a second in command to Max he had slowly started to drift further apart from his friends, especially his human friends. He spent most of his time, when he was not working or sleeping, practicing his powers. To prepare himself for the inevitable future - a future being at war. He did not have time, or more precisely, the patience to try to convince Max that they had a destiny and it was better that he stopped sulking it all away over a girl that had obviously already started to move on.   
  
Isabel had also started to pull away from the others. She had to deal with the fact that she in another life-time had betrayed her brother and in that basically had killed not only her brother but also Michael, Tess and herself. As if that was not enough she was practically also responsible for millions of lives that were lost in the hours, days, months and years after her betrayal to her brother.   
  
Maria had sadly witnessed the process of the dissolving of the once hard- knitted group. Her attention was now on the petite brown-haired girl with the back turned to her behind the counter at the CrashDown, pretending to be very busy with filling the sugar dispensers. "Liz, are you even listening to me?" Maria asked her long-time friend since Liz had yet to answer her. "What?" Liz said and turned towards her. When Maria found herself staring into the blank dark-brown eyes of her friend, she wondered (and not for the first time) what had happened to the girl she once knew that appreciated every small thing on earth, always took time to watch out for everyone nearby - even if their intentions weren't all good. The girl once so full of life, and love. Had she died that day on the floor of the CrashDown Café, when Max had healed her?   
  
"You can't continue doing this, you know", Maria said watching Liz's face grow more suspicious. 

"What, Maria?!" she exclaimed, her voice edged with annoyance. 

"I think you should talk to him." Maria said, with her hand drifting out in the direction of Max's booth. 

"Maria.", Liz sighed, "I talk with him every day. We're okay, you know!" 

"Liz", Maria said and looked sternly on Liz. "You are NOT okay!" 

"Maria, stop it okay! There is nothing left to discuss. He has a destiny. With Tess." 

Maria saw Liz eyes glaze over with sadness at the mentioning of Max's destined mate. "We are friends, and I am happy that we can be so much. We cannot be more than that, you know that. So would you just stop it, Maria!" Liz eyes had a warning look in them.telling Maria to back off.   
  
Maria through her hands up into the air clearly giving up. "Why do I even try?" she said with a dramatic sigh and turned to Michael. "Hey Michael! Where's my order?" 

"You'll get your order when it's ready!" Michael grunted without turning to Maria. 

"It is sooo revealing that you every day at least can look forward to having such wonderful, happy and optimistic couple of friends when everything else is crap.," Maria sarcastically announced with a fake smile and turned towards the dining area to serve the new customers that had arrived.   
  
With a tired sigh Liz leaned against the counter and held her hand to her forehead. She had been bothered by this headache all day long and it was really starting to affect her mood. She still felt him in the room. She could feel his eyes burning at the back of her head. Everyday was a torture. She was just going through the emotions, she had lost control of her life. Sure, it was great that she and Max could be friends. But they both knew that they could never just have a normal friendship. Especially not after what she had done to him. She so wanted to tell him about how the future version of him had told her to betray Max. She longed to feel his arms around her again, telling her that everything was going to be okay. As long as they were together they could do anything. But she couldn't tell him. She would not risk the safety of her friends just so that she could have a relationship.   
  
When she started to fill coffee into the coffee-machine she once again thought about the fact that Max and Tess did not seem to be anymore romantically involved with each other than they had been before future Max decided to pay her a visit. In some way it brought her relief that she did not have to witness Max and Tess making go-go-eyes at each other or even worse - kissing! However, at the same time it felt as if she was doing her sacrifice, living this hell, for nothing. She had succeeded in making Tess stay in Roswell, and was that not the plan? No, of course, there was that small detail concerning the fact that future Max told her that Max had to fall out of love with her. Some days it felt as if she had succeeded in that as well. Especially when she looked into his eyes - those amber eyes - and saw the hurt, the hurt she knew she had put there, she was convinced that he could no longer love her. But then, when she was working and he sat in his regular booth watching her it was as it had been before the day of the shooting. He was still watching out for her, and the fact that he seemed to still care made her start to question how much success her betrayal really had gained.   
  
A sudden pain in the back of her head disturbed her train of thoughts. She clenched her fists and concentrated not to groan in pain as the feeling as like a knife being inserted in the back of her head and slowly turned washed over her.   
  
Max's eyes once again drifted to Liz working behind the counter. He could not help himself. Even though she had hurt him more than he ever thought she would, he could not stop himself from always seeking her out. Her mere presence had a calming effect on him. Even though she was the source of most his nightmares, troubled feelings and thoughts, she still remained his sole comfort. With an almost unnoticeable shake of his head he wondered to himself how come he always came crawling back - asking for more. Maria had joined Liz behind the counter, but Liz had yet to face her. With how those two were acting it might to a stranger seem as if Maria and Liz barely knew each other, as if their relationship was purely professional. Maria was going on about something, but Liz didn't pay her any attention. Max sadly wondered if the whole group was falling apart - collapsing like a pyramid built by a stack of cards. Even the strong friendship between Maria and Liz had started to dwindle.   
  
Maria finally got Liz's attention but Max sensed Liz's annoyance more than saw it and soon Maria turned to Michael to finally with a face masked with hopelessness and a fake smile accompanying that, headed out into the dining area to collect orders again. Max continued to watch Liz. How her hair, pulled up into a ponytail, swayed from side to side with her movements. The way she moved around her work place with such easiness that spoke volumes of how well she knew her job. Max sat up a little straighter when he saw Liz lean against the counter, with her hand against her forehead. She had done that all day. Throughout the day her face been strained. Max knew with his mind that it was probably just a headache. However, his heart said that something was wrong. Liz clenched her fists, an act that was so small that it was not notice by anyone else. But it was not unnoticed by Max and he just knew he had to approach her, to see if she was okay. He rose from the booth and quickly strode over to Liz. Just then she straightened up, as if she could sense that he was approaching and stood away from the counter.   
  
Through the pain Liz could feel him getting closer and she focused hard to repress the pain and relax. Then she straightened up and opened her eyes, which she had squeezed shut in an effort to close off the pain. She turned around and was suddenly looking deep into the concerned eyes she knew so well. 

"Hey," Max said softly while looking at her over in an attempt to convince himself that she was okay. 

"Oh, hi Max," Liz said and noticed to her disappointment that her voice trembled. She recognized the consequences of that on Max's face as the crease of worry in his forehead deepened. 

"Liz, are you okay?" Max asked, instinctively reaching over to take her hand. 

Liz drew her hand away from his just before he touched her and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Yeah, Max. I'm fine."   
  
Liz's smile, that never truly reached her eyes, only increased his worries.   
  
"Maybe you should take a break," he said. 

He immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing feeling Liz pull away from him, shutting off her feelings and putting on a stubborn face. 

"Max, I'm fine, don't worry!" she said and as if to further emphasis just that she took the ordering book from the pocket of her apron and swished past Max to take the orders of the incoming customers. Max turned around towards her and watched her.   
  
He could not explain how it was that since he had healed her and a connection had been made, he could sense her feelings. He could not sense her feelings all the time, only the very intense ones. Like anger, sadness.and pain. Liz had been in much pain lately - not physical pain but mostly emotional pain. She was hurt, just like he was. However, he could not thoroughly understand that. Why was she hurt? She had moved on, she had slept with Kyle for God's sake! If that was not moving on, then what was? That could not stop him from the troubled thoughts that he felt in his heart though. His heart told him that she lied to him, and was still lying. That she was hiding something from him. He had tried to confront her about it, when they were in Copper Summit, but she was even then pulling away from him. He could feel how she was drifting further and further away from him. And the only thing he could do was just to watch it happen. He could not reach her. He had lost control over the situation. That was something that he was not used to - losing control - and he was not sure what to do. Besides, it hurt too much to think about it logically.   
  
"Can I get you anything else?" Liz asked the mother of the family in the booth. The two children in the family were loudly (and in very whining voices) demanding ice-creams from their mother. 

"No!" the mother said firmly with an irritated voice, directed at her children. "You have already eaten one ice-cream today. You will not get another one. Peter, you should have eaten more of that hamburger instead, then you would have been too full to want ice-cream!" 

"But, Moooom", the boy called Peter whined. "I said NO!" the mother said. 

Liz patiently waited by the table for their argument to end, while feeling her headache growing worse by the minute. 

"Look", Liz said, turned to the children. "Instead of ice-cream, you can get these really cool alien dolls, would you like that?" 

"I don't play with dolls", Peter said and turned up his nose. "That's a girlie thing to do!" 

"But these aliens are really cool", Liz said again and bit back a cry of pain as the pain at the back of her head intensified and started spreading to other areas of her head - slowly immobilizing her. "I am certain that these aliens, that crashed on Earth - you have heard of the UFO crash, haven't you?" Peter nodded his head. "Well, these aliens were perhaps coming to Earth in order to prepare for the war." 

"There was a war?" Peter interrupted, interest in his voice now. 

"You see, on the aliens' planet there was a war between two different races of aliens", Liz continued with a small smile at the boy's sudden enthusiasm, changing some minor details t the story she knew by heart. "But the king and queen came up with the plan to fly to another planet - Earth - to prepare for the war. With them the king and queen took the head of the army - the king's second in command - and his wife. But they were followed by some of their enemies and while the king and his men were preparing on Earth, their enemies were waiting for the right opportunity to kill the king and his men." Liz grew silent when black dots appeared in front of her eyes and the room started to spin.   
  
Max had listened to the story with a small smile on his lips. He could not get rid of the feeling that something was very wrong with Liz and that she needed to rest or something. But seeing her interact so naturally with the boy, even though she was in pain, made him so much prouder of her. 

"What happened then?" Peter asked when Liz stopped her story. Max worriedly observed how Liz closed her eyes and how her chest fell and rose in a fashion that witnessed of labored breathing. When she swayed a little on her place, Max stepped up to her and took her gentle by her upper arm. 

"Liz," he said softly. "I think you better sit down" 

When he touched her he could not only feel how unnaturally warm her skin was, but their connection was turned up and he could feel her in pain. He felt this sudden need to cradle her in his arms and carry her to her bed to force her to rest. But with their fragile friendship, he did not want to jeopardize too much of what they had rebuilt in the last couple of weeks by invading her personal space.   
  
Without opening her eyes, she answered him, "Max...I'm soon...finished. I'm just...gonna tell... this story...okay?" 

Her voice was very strained and so soft that he almost did not hear her. 

"No, Liz," Max said firmly. Hearing her voice he came to the decision that she was going to rest even if he had to force her. "I'll go tell Maria, and she can take your customers. You need to rest!" 

The mother of the children looked at the girl in front of her. She did not look well. Even her children had grown quiet and looked at the girl. The girl looked like she was ready to faint at any second. The mother was revealed when a dark-haired man had stepped up and told her to get some rest. The mother could see drops of perspiration starting to form on the girl's forehead and she looked very flustered. 

"I think she might have a fever", the mother informed Max. 

But Max did not hear her. His whole attention was focused on Liz, waiting for her reply. 

"I just...need...a second...Max," Liz said. "I...have had...this....eh...eh...headache all...day. I will...be okay...soon." 

"I'm getting Maria", Max said not believing a word Liz said. He was really worried now. Something was definitely not right here. For two seconds his mind dealt with the conflict of leaving Liz's side to get Maria or to stay, before he gently let go of his grip on Liz's arm and went to get Maria.   
  
When Liz felt Max let go of her, she felt the coldness wash over her and the dark dots behind her eyelids grew larger before she drowned in a sea of darkness.   
  
  
  
**Chapter 2**   
  
Max sensed Liz fell before he heard her and turned around to the sight of Liz crumbling to the floor. Without a further thought he gathered her in his arms - with a small concerned thought to the fact that she was so light, too light - and quickly walked towards the back of the restaurant, heading towards Liz's apartment. 

"Max, what..." Maria began but Max just brushed past her with the pale unconscious Liz in his arms. Michael left the frying of the hamburger that was at the moment occupying him and followed Maria up to Liz's apartment.   
  
Max laid Liz gently on the bed and put his hand on her forehead. Before she had lost consciousness, she had been extremely hot. But now she was very cold. 

"Max, what happened?" Maria asked as she came into the room. 

"She fainted," Max said without leaving Liz with his eyes. "Has she said anything about being sick?" 

"No," Maria said. "But to be honest, Max, she hasn't been eating right the last couple of weeks." 

Max pushed a strand of hair away from Liz's forehead and silently punished himself for not noticing anything sooner. Just then Liz's eyelids started to flutter and she slowly opened her eyes.   
  
Liz slowly pulled herself out of the state of unconsciousness and was met by Max's face hovering above her. 

"Max? What..." she started, but Max hushed her. 

"Liz, it's okay. You fainted," Max said, trying his best to calm Liz to stop her from making her own condition worse. Max's worried face did not go unnoticed by Liz but her attention was quickly diverged to her best friend who pushed Max to the side, demanding to reach Liz. 

"Liz, babe. Are you okay?" Maria asked. 

Just then, Michael stormed into the room. "What's going on, Max?" 

"Liz fainted," Max answered with his eyes still glued on Liz's face, which had started to get a little more color. He had been pushed to the side by Maria, but his hand was still placed around Liz's.   
  
Liz was very aware of the fact that Max held her hand. She did not want him to let go of her hand so she pretended to be ignorant of the fact that Max held her hand ever so tenderly. "Liz, you almost scared me half to death!" Maria continued. "Tell me everything is okay." 

"I'm fine, Maria" Liz said and managed to produce a small smile. "I guess the headache got the better of me." 

"You don't faint from a headache, Liz," Max said. Liz looked in his direction and was for a second lost in the depths of his eyes. But then she saw the hurt hidden behind his concern for her and she quickly looked away. 

"Perhaps I just need to eat something," Liz said and tried to rise from her bed. 

"Oh no you don't, chica," Maria said and firmly pushed Liz back. "You have to rest! I can handle the CrashDown by myself. Believe me, we do not have _that_ many customers! Get better okay and we're gonna have a talk later tonight, all right?" 

Too tired to object, Liz weakly nodded. 

"Okay Michael, come here. We have a job to take care of," Maria said and took a strong grip on Michaels arm and half dragged him out of Liz's room, leaving Max and Liz alone.   
  
"Liz, Maria said you have not been eaten right," Max said as he scooted back to his previous position, kneeling beside Liz's bed. 

"Yeah, but you know it's just that I've been so busy, you know, and I sometimes forget to eat," Liz said, carefully avoiding looking Max in the eyes. 

"Are you sleeping okay?" Max asked, recognizing the signs on Liz from his own insomnia. "Yes, Max. Well, I have had some nightmares, but their just nightmares, you know," Liz said, starting to fumble with the ring on her index finger. 

"What kind of nightmares," Max asked sharply. By the tone of his voice, Liz looked up at Max anxiously afraid he might be angry with her. 

"Please don't be angry," she said softly.   
  
Max looked confused. "Why should I be angry?" he asked. 

"I don't know," Liz said, realizing she had misread him. "I really try to eat, but sometimes I'm just not hungry." 

Her divergence from the subject of nightmares did not work so well. 

"Liz, can you tell me? About the nightmares?" Max asked gently. 

Liz started to shake her head. "There just nightmares, Max. And I don't have them every night." 

Max knew when to not push her anymore and stopped questioning her. Perhaps her nightmares were personal, like the image of Kyle and Liz in bed together that kept haunting him. Without a deliberate thought Max placed his hand on Liz's cheek and caressed her cheek with his thumb.   
  
When Liz felt Max's hand she closed her eyes. The act was so full of love that it almost brought tears to her eyes. Max had been so far away since he had seen Kyle and her together and she could never dream that she should feel him like this again. But it was over very quickly, when Max realized what he had done. Liz felt the withdrawal of his hand like a slap in her face. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to stop the feeling of coldness.   
  
Max did not want to take away his hand, but he was afraid that he had crossed an invisible line. It was perhaps not as friendly act as it should have been. He saw Liz wrap her arms around her and he realized that she might be cold. She was still looking pale. He quickly rose from his position and took the blanket that laid at Liz's feet and spread it over her.   
  
Liz gave him a small smile of gratitude. "Thanks," she said. 

"You just get some rest now, Liz. You need it," Max said. 

Liz nodded her head and her eyes started to drift close again. Max stopped in the doorway and watched his angel fell asleep. Fighting the urge to stay with her, to wrap his arms around her to keep her warm, he left her room.   
  
_It was really dark. Even the moon was afraid to show its countenance. She hurried down the street. A cold feeling was spreading down her spine. She was being followed. When she turned the next corner she bumped into a hard body. Frightened she looked up to be met by brown eyes. _

_"Max," she exclaimed surprised. But strangely she was not relieved. She still felt that she was in danger. Perhaps even more now than before. _

_"Liz, what are you doing here? It could be dangerous to be out so late," Max said. _

_"I was just heading home," Liz said and tried to walk past Max but he put out an arm and stopped her. Her heart slammed in her chest, her mouth went dry - all her senses were on high alert now. __  
  
"I can walk with you. You shouldn't walk alone," Max said. Without looking at him, just feeling with her heart, Liz was certain that she should be afraid of Max. _

_That he was danger. _

_"No really, Max I'm fine!" she said and freed herself out of his grip. _

_"Really Liz, it's no problem," Max said and put an arm around her waist. _

_Liz felt a sudden chilliness spread around her waist along with Max's arm and her mind was screaming at her to get away from him. _

_"Okay," she said slowly and hoped that nothing would happen if she just acted as she suspected nothing wrong._   
  
Max twisted and turned in his bed. He could not find peace. Finally, he gave up trying and rose from his bed. He dragged a pair of jeans on and pulled a sweatshirt over his head. Having tied his shoes he climbed out his window. The night was cool and it was relaxing his senses. He took deep breaths and tried to calm his storming feelings down. As if some invisible rope had dragged him there, he found himself standing outside the CrashDown Café, looking up at Liz's balcony. 

"I'm just gonna see how she is," Max thought and climbed the ladder to Liz's balcony. 

When he neared her window, his emotions were more and more turned up - like the volume of a radio. He looked inside and saw Liz lying in her bed. Her covers were only partly covering her, leaving her upper body free for exposure. She wore a halter top, which had slid up exposing a part of her stomach. Max thought to himself that he had never seen her anymore beautiful. But then he saw that she was clutching the edges of the covers in her small hands like it was her life-line. She was flipping her head slightly from side to side in an agonizing manner.   
  
Without thinking, Max put his hand over the lock of the window, manipulating its molecular structure to unlock it. He slowly opened the window to not disturb Liz and slid inside as quietly as he could. Turning his back to Liz for a few seconds he closed the window and then made his way towards Liz. When he came closer he observed that she was sweating. The reddish nuance to her cheeks made her look flustered. Max kneeled beside her bed and carefully put his cool hand on her forehead, feeling for her temperature. She was hot again. 

"No, please." 

The plea came as a whisper over Liz's lips. Max's eyes wandered from her lips to her hands and the manner in which she clutched the covers. Rising a little from his kneeling position, Max tried to bend Liz's left hand free from the grip on the covers. 

"Nooo!" Liz wailed.   
  
"Liz, calm down. It's okay," Max said softly to not scare her of his presence. 

However, she made no sign that she knew that he was there. When he got Liz's hand to let go of the covers, the hand quickly grabbed Max's hand and held it strongly. Max looked from the grip of her hand on his to her face and then he stretched over her to take away the other hand from the covers. When that grip as well loosened, Liz took a hold of Max's other hand. Max now found himself in a bit compromising position. He was leaning over Liz while she held both of his hands in a death-grip. Since she was obviously frightened, he had no intention of making her let go of his hands. So he carefully laid himself down beside Liz. Laying on his side, facing Liz's profile he had one of his arms positioned over her stomach.   
  
Liz turned on her side, still asleep, so that she was now facing Max and in amazement Max saw how all the worried lines in Liz's face straightened out and her erratic breathing calmed down and steadied. Letting go of one of Max's hands but still holding the one that had been laying across her stomach she curled up against Max - positioning herself with her face in his chest. Max found himself in heaven - with his angel. Liz still felt a little too warm to be normal but to him it was absolute paradise to have Liz scooting so close to him like she wanted to crawl inside him.   
  
A wave of exhaustion flowed over him, a result of several sleepless nights, and sleep finally claimed him.   
  
Liz had never felt so safe before. She felt completely protected. When the clouds of sleep started to dissipate she became aware of the fact that her pillow felt very warm and it was moving up and down. She slowly opened her eyes. She did not know if she should scream, dance or cry as a response to the sight that greeted her. She had her head on a chest - a warm, secure and strong chest. Letting her eyes drift higher she found what she already suspected - that it was in fact Max (that somehow at this instance slept in her bed). Her legs were tangled with his and she was almost pinning him to the bed, having half of her body on top of Max's, who was impersonating as her pillow.   
  
As if sensing her sleepless state, Max slowly opened his eyes and found that his dream was in fact not only a dream but reality. He was in a bed with Liz Parker. She was now looking down on him with a sleepy expression on her face - her hair was tousled by sleep. She was the most beautiful sight he thought for himself.   
  
When Liz saw Max opening her eyes she could not help but smile. When he had been sleeping, all the worry and concern, all the responsibilities he normally had to carry on his shoulders were washed away from his face. He looked peaceful. In the moment after he had began to wake and she could look into his eyes and it was the same eyes that she had known so long ago. They were filled with care, warmth, but most of all love. The immense feeling of love washed over her. However, then Max realized where he was and a curtain fell in his eyes. His eyes now once again held that to Liz now familiar hurt in them.   
  
"Good morning," Max said softly. 

"Good morning," Liz said and smiled again. 

Friend or not friend, her friend Max did look very sexy in the morning - and the fact that he was in bed with her, under her, did not help the matter very much. 

"May I ask what you are doing here?" Liz asked in a playing voice. 

Max face fell. "Uhm...I..I. was worried about you, so I came to watch how you were doing," he stuttered. 

"Okay," Liz said slowly. "How did you end up in my bed?"   
  
Max suddenly realized that Liz was almost laying on top of him and her legs were tangled with his. He started to move about to free himself from Liz. Not that he didn't want to stay in that position - like forever - but he didn't want to ruin anything with Liz. Liz understood what he was trying to do and rolled of him, feeling the coldness and emptiness the second his body left her. Max sat up and looked at the clock on Liz's bedside table. It was seven a.m. Lucky for him it was Saturday and hopefully no parents would be storming into Liz's room for a couple of hours yet. Liz also sat up and pulled the covers up around her, trying to warm herself up. Max - misinterpreting her actions as if she was feeling exposed - moved away from the bed and stood up.   
  
"I.you.you had a nightmare.and I just wanted to calm you down," Max started to explain and saw a small smile spread on Liz's face. "You were really frightened and I just thought that if I stayed with you, you would calm down." 

Max dropped his eyes, waiting for the verdict. 

"Thank you," Liz whispered softly. Max looked up, searching her eyes. 

"You're not angry?" he asked a little surprised. 

"Of course I'm not angry, Max," Liz said. "It was really kind of you to show up and take care of me, you know." Looking down at her hands clutching the covers around her she said, "I haven't slept that well in a very long time." 

Her mind drifted off to the time she and Max had fallen asleep outside the radio tower after they had found the orb. Even though they had been sleeping on the ground, she had never felt so good and protected as she had that night sleeping with Max's arms around her.   
  
Max looked away feeling a little uncomfortable. Here he was in Liz's bedroom and he had just spent the night with her - his friend. Should a person feel this way about a friend? Looking back at Liz as she sat in her bed, nervously playing with the covers wrapped around her, with a sleepy expression on her face and her tousled he realized in that instant that she was his whole world. There would never be any other for him - it was her or no one. Her smile that had greeted him when he had opened his eyes in the morning - the first real smile she had given him in ages - had implanted some new hope in his heart. A hope that things might be okay between them.   
  
"I guess I better get home," Max said. "Before Isabel or my parents.or you're parents find out that we have not....slept alone tonight." 

Liz smiled again. "

I have really missed that smile," Max thought. 

"Yeah, that would probably be the best thing to do," Liz said. "I guess I'll see you in the CrashDown later?" 

"Yeah... No wait, I have to work today," Max said regretfully. 

"Oh." 

"Was that disappointment?" Max thought, feeling a sense of hope. 

"Well, so I see you when I see you then," Liz said and rose from her bed and started walking towards Max. 

"What is she doing?" Max thought. 

"Thank you," Liz said softly and rose on the tips of her toes and let her warm lips brush Max's cheek. "Thank you for being there for me when I needed you." 

"Sure," Max said, surprised that his voice did not tremble. "Bye Liz." 

"Bye," Liz said and watched Max open the window, climb through and disappear down the ladder of her balcony.   
  
She closed the window after him and sank down on the edge of her bed. She was feeling good for the first time in months. When she thought about it, she had not felt this good since before Tess came to town. It was with the arrival of Tess that everything had started to fall apart -for obvious reasons. With a sad smile she once again realized that she could never really be happy if she could not be with Max. And being with Max - in any way that was more than a friend - was not even a possibility being with Max. "It would," she sarcastically thought when she started to prepare herself for yet another day working at the CrashDown, "mean the end of the world."

TBC...


	2. Book 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
It had been a good day. Everything about his work had gone so much easier with the memory of Liz in the morning fresh in his mind. He would probably trade his soul to be able to wake up to that sight every day. The problem was that even though he had tried to make Liz understand that he did not care for Tess romantically, she stubbornly continued to push him towards Tess - away from Liz. Once again, Max thought that something was not right. Liz was hiding something. After this morning, Max was even more keen than ever on finding out just what she was hiding. As he saw it, that was probably the only obstacle in his way of his and Liz's relationship. He had felt her love for him this morning - especially in the small kiss on his cheek that she had given him. The familiar electricity that had stirred inside his veins and arteries with that small kiss was enough to make him go weak in his legs. Once again, he was amazed over the power that small girl had over him.  
  
With a small smile on his face he crossed the road outside the UFO center and entered the CrashDown. His eyes immediately sought her out. She was sitting on one of the chairs at the counter. As soon as he saw her face his smile faltered. She was pale and her hands were trembling ever so slightly in her lap. She turned her head, as if sensing his presence, and her eyes locked with his. She sent him a weak smile, which did funny things to his stomach. His protective nature kicked in full force and he purposefully strode up to her.  
  
"Hi Liz," he said.  
  
"Hay Max," she said and then it was just them in the room. Everything else around them dissolved into unimportant nothingness, becoming a blur of images. The sound around them disappeared and they were all that existed.  
  
"Are you okay?" Max asked and tentatively brought up one of his hands and brushed a strand of hair off Liz's forehead.  
  
"You seem to be asking that a lot lately," Liz pointed out.  
  
"You have looked sick a lot lately," Max countered. "You look pale."  
  
"Oh., but I feel a lot better now actually," Liz said and started to rise from her chair.  
  
She actually looked better, Max noticed and moved a little so that she could stand.  
  
From the back of the counter, Maria watched the whole scene unfold. Something was different. Max seemed to touch Liz more, in a more relaxed way and Liz did not pull away. They even did the whole Liz-and-Max-thing again - loosing themselves in each other's eyes and completely ignoring the rest of the world. "This is a good sign," Maria thought. "I wonder what really has happened between them since I left Liz yesterday after our little chat about eating better and looking out for ourselves."  
  
"Can I help you with anything?" Max asked Liz when she started to wipe off one of the tables.  
  
She smiled at him.  
  
"You know what Max? Me - employer, You - customer. Me - work, You - sit down and order," she said.  
  
"Yes, ma'am, " Max said and with a salute and a small chuckle positioned himself at his regular booth.  
  
Maria looked up with a I-cannot-believe-this look in her eyes. "Okay, something is definitely different here!" she thought.  
  
"Liz! You and me babe - out there - now!" Maria ordered pointing at the door of the employers' only room in the back.  
  
"Maria, we're working," Liz started to protest.  
  
"Oh, no no no," Maria said wiggling her index finger in front of Liz's face. "Don't try that on me. We are thirty minutes from closing time and the only customers here are an old man over there and Max. I think Max can handle himself a couple of minutes, don't you? And that old man - well, let's just say that he's been sitting here drinking that same cup of coffee - which by the way must be very cold by know - since three o'clock so I don't think he is going anywhere soon."  
  
"Okay, okay," Liz laughed putting up her hands in a defensive manner in front of her. She let herself be dragged out of the room into the back by Maria, while Max watched with an amused expression on his face. He did sooo not want to be in Liz's shoes right now.  
  
"Okay, spill!" Maria demanded as soon as they were alone.  
  
"There's nothing to tell," Liz said, evasively.  
  
"Oh, yes there is!" Maria said. "Max just chuckled, Liz - he chuckled. Do you understand the impact of that act? I have not seen our oh-so-very- uptight-control-freak Max Evans commit to any act that resembles laughter in any way in the last months. Not even a smile! And then he comes in here, after hours and hours of boring work at the UFO center I might add, and after making goo-goo eyes with you for a few minutes he suddenly chuckles. And, that's not even the most spectacular thing with this whole phenomenon. You, Liz Parker, princess of depression these last months, makes the joke that makes Max Evans chuckle. So you, girlfriend, have on the opposite very much to tell."  
  
"Okay, Maria..breathe!" Liz laughed.  
  
"And here we go again," Maria said unable to stop a smile of her own. "Liz Parker laughs! I am shocked - outraged!"  
  
"Sniff some cedar oil, Maria," Liz said.  
  
Maria just gave Liz a look that practically said "Spill or die".  
  
"This morning I woke up to a very strange sight," Liz said.  
  
"Ahaa," Maria said a bit confused, her voice prompting Liz to give her some more information to work with than that.  
  
"Guess who I was pinning to the bed," Liz smiled. Maria's eyes went so wide that Liz was afraid they might fall out of their orbits.  
  
"You didn't!" she said shocked to the bones of the images of a naked Max and Liz in bed together flashing through her mind.  
  
"Nono, Maria," Liz said quickly. "We were both fully dressed."  
  
"Thank God," Maria said but she still looked very suspicious. "But what was Max Evans doing in your bedroom acting the role of your pillow?"  
  
"According to Max, he was worried about me so he went to check on me last night," Liz said. "I was having a nightmare and Max wanted to calm me down."  
  
"And just HOW did he do that, if I might ask?" Maria asked a bit accusative.  
  
"He just held me throughout the night," Liz said with a dreamy look on her face.  
  
"Right, of course. It's Max Evans we're talking about here. The always in control, cautious Max Evans," Maria said with a sting of jealousy while she cast a look into the direction of her non-boyfriend Michael Guerin in the act of putting out a fire in the hamburgers on the grill in front of him with his spatula.  
  
"He was just there for me, Maria," Liz said.  
  
Maria watched her friend and it warmed her heart to see that a small part of that missed sparkle in Liz's eyes had returned. She put her arms around Liz and gave her a big hug.  
  
"I love you, Liz," Maria said. "Even if Max decides to hurt you again, don't forget that I will always be here for you."  
  
"Thanks Maria," Liz said. "I love you too. But you know, it was I who hurt Max, not the other way around."  
  
"You were both hurting, Liz," Maria said. "All because of a special person which I am not so very fond of. and we both know who I mean."  
  
Liz smiled at her best friend. Happy to have her support, through thick and thin.  
  
"Now, Maria. If you are finished I have a certain gentleman expecting my service outside," Liz said walking pass Maria, through the doors into the dining area.  
  
"And what service might that be?" Maria mumbled. Maria observed Liz's eyes meeting Max's and Liz was once again lost to the outside world.  
  
With a dreamy smile plastered on her face, Liz made her way over to Max.  
  
"And here we go again," Maria announced to herself.  
  
  
  
"What happened to you?" Michael demanded in the tone of voice that was so characteristically the I-don't-trust-anyone Michael.  
  
"What?" Max asked confused.  
  
"I think what Michael is trying to tell you is that there is a difference about you, Max," Isabel said while keeping an eye on the people walking by them in the school yard.  
  
"There's nothing different with me," Max said, crawling inside of his shell.  
  
"Oh, come on Max, if even Michael notices something is different, something really is different," Isabel said.  
  
"Oh, it's Liz isn't it?" Michael said. When Max looked up sharply with a bit of ."guilty expression," Michael thought. on his face Michael had his answer.  
  
"Are you guys getting back together?" Isabel asked, not sure if she should be happy or not.  
  
"No, we're not. By the way, that's private," Max said and poured some more Tabasco sauce on his potato chips.  
  
"Since when do we keep secrets from each other?" Michael asked, unconsciously repeating the exact same phrase he had said when things had gotten so intense between Max and Liz during their search for the orb.  
  
"Michael, back off. Nothing happened, and if it did it would be none of your business," Max said showing a bit of the latent authority that he had once held as a leader on a far off planet.  
  
"Michael told me Liz was sick," Isabel said. "Is she sick?"  
  
"I don't know," Max said and Isabel saw how his whole face practically transformed in front of her, now becoming etched with worry. "She passed out in the CrashDown, and she told me that she had a headache. That was all. However, Saturday when I came in after work she looked pale. But after a few minutes she seemed fine again. I don't know what's going on with her."  
  
"You haven't gotten her pregnant, have you Maxwell?" Michael asked suspiciously.  
  
"Michael!!" both Isabel and Max exclaimed simultaneously.  
  
"Okay, okay.wrong question," Michael said with his hands in front of him.  
  
  
  
Liz had felt edgy all day, and if that was not enough her headache had also returned - with full effect. She felt like someone had run over her head with a truck and all that was left was an aching mush. She was now on her way to her biology lesson - with Max. For the first time in a long time, she did not expect the worse. She did actually feel more comfortable around Max know. "Maybe sleeping in his arms does that to you," she thought. When she neared the classroom she felt his presence getting stronger. She was still amazed by the fact that she could feel him. Like they were connected all the time. When she entered he turned his head towards her. Their eyes met and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back, but due to the pain in her head she only managed a weak one that more looked like a grimace. "Damn," she thought when Max's eyes glazed over with worry, "now he's worried." She didn't like to worry him. He was too protective for his own good.  
  
"Hi Max," she said, taking her place beside him and before he could open his mouth to ask the question she knew he would ask she said, "I'm fine Max, it's just the headache that has returned."  
  
"Right", Max said and blushed a little self-consciously.  
  
"Okay, class," Mr. Seligman started. "Today we are going to look into the small details of the human body and look at the electric transmission of the nerves in our bodies. How do electrical impulses travel throughout our body and make us react? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out!" He chuckled a bit at his own joke and Max turned his head towards Liz with a small smile at the lame joke. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw Liz slumped over the table with her head in her hands. Her hair flowed around her face, preventing Max from seeing her face.  
  
"Liz, what's wrong?" Max whispered while Mr. Seligman in the background went on about post-synaptic transmission and neurotransmitters.  
  
Liz did not seem to hear him and Max's worry increased.  
  
"Liz, look at me," Max demanded softly. When she didn't look at him he placed a hand on her back to get her attention. He was rapidly pulled inside her mind. All around him he felt her pain, it was so intense it almost knocked him out cold. He knew that he had somehow connected with Liz and was inside her mind. But she was nowhere to be found. It was dark and cold and all that pain.  
  
"Liz, where are you?" Max yelled blindly into the darkness.  
  
"Max.," came a very small reply - so soft that he almost did not hear it. Almost.  
  
"Liz, follow my voice, come to me! I'm here. You just have to follow my voice and I will bring you into safety," Max said.  
  
"Max, " her voice called again, but a little stronger this time. "Don't leave me!"  
  
"I won't, Liz," Max said, while frantically starting to search around the dark caverns of Liz's mind. "Follow my voice, Liz, and you will come home."  
  
And suddenly she was there before him. But she was walking so slowly, as if every step was causing her pain. Max ran to her and swept her in his arms. She held on to him and started to cry.  
  
"It hurts, Max," she cried. "It hurts so much. Please, make it stop!"  
  
Her crying almost tore his heart apart but he still remembered where their bodies were - in biology in a room full of students. It was not a good place to become unconscious in.  
  
"Liz, you have to wake up," Max said. "Then I will make you better, okay?"  
  
Liz nodded and then Max found himself in the biology classroom again.  
  
He felt the loss of the connection to Liz instantly. His loneliness clamped down on him. He looked beside him and saw into the eyes of Liz's dark- brown. They were a bit reddened by her crying and her cheeks were wet. Max looked up at the teacher to assess the situation. Had anyone noticed that they had practically been unconscious? The teacher was still going on about synaptic transmission, now having his attention on the board where he drew nerve-endings. Looking around the classroom, Max just found the bored faces of regular high school students - staring at the board, not quite registrating what was trying to be taught to them.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Seligman," Max said while raising his hand in the air.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Evans," Mr. Seligman said turning towards Max.  
  
"Liz is not feeling too well, is it okay if I take her to the nurse?" Max asked.  
  
Mr. Seligman turned his attention to the girl sitting on the left of Max and found that she did in fact not look too well.  
  
"Yeah, I guess that would be okay, Mr. Evans," Mr. Seligman said.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Seligman," Max said and rose from his chair. He took a strong grip around Liz's waist to steady her when she stood and then pulled her to him to support most of her weight when they started to walk out of the classroom. Max felt all eyes on him and Liz while they walked out. Liz was oblivious to it all, except to the fact that Max's strong arm was around her waist making her feel better by the second.  
  
  
  
When they came out in the hallway, Max propped Liz up against a wall.  
  
"I want to check on you, Liz," Max said. "To see what's wrong with you."  
  
"Okay," Liz said, still feeling weak from the whole ordeal in the classroom.  
  
"It's probably better if we go somewhere more private," Max said. "Like.um, the Eraser room."  
  
Liz subdued a smile at how cute Max looked when he in a self-conscious and embarrassed manner scratched behind his ear. Those cute ears that were protruding just a little from the sides of his head. "Okay, Liz, focus," she scolded herself. "He asked you a question. What did he ask you.? Right, the Eraser room. I would LOVE to be in the Eraser room with him. No, stop it Liz Parker. Max is worried about you and wants to help. Nothing more."  
  
"Liz.," Max asked slowly, afraid that she was getting worse.  
  
"Oh, we should head towards the Eraser room then," Liz said and leaned against Max again, signaling that she expected him to hold her close. Very close. "Stop it Parker," she thought.  
  
  
  
Max closed the door to the Eraser room and sealed the lock with his powers.  
  
"So.," Max walked up to Liz and put his hands under her arms, brushing along the sides of her breasts ever so slightly.  
  
"Max, what.," But before she could finish that sentence, Max's strong hands had lifted her off the ground and put her on the table. She was now sitting on the table with her legs dangling in the air. Max was standing between her thighs. Liz's heart started to pound faster in her chest and her breathing quickening. Max, noticing the change in her breathing, thought Liz's heavy breathing was due to her health condition.  
  
"Liz, are you all right?" he asked, worried once again.  
  
"Yes, Max.I'm.uhm.fine," Liz answered.  
  
Max noticed that Liz would not meet his eyes any longer. Had he done something wrong? Then he became aware of the fact that his hands were still cradling Liz's sides and he quickly removed them - brushing against Liz's breast once again in the process. Certainly not unnoticed by Liz. Max felt a rush of desire surge through him and he clenched his fists by the sides of his body to calm himself down. He was not here to maul Liz Parker! When calming himself down he looked up and was met by Liz's eyes. They were a nuance darker than usual - darker with.desire. "Oh God, that is not helping!" Max thought and stepped away from Liz a bit.  
  
"Max.," Liz tentatively asked.  
  
Hearing her small voice brought him back to the situation. Liz was sick, and he was going to help her.  
  
"Liz, just look into my eyes and let your mind go blank," Max said. Liz nodded and Max placed both his hands on the sides of Liz's head, cradling her head in his hands, stepping closer to her in the process.  
  
Just as he was about to enter her mind she pulled away from him.  
  
"What-," he began confused and then he saw the flicker of fear in her eyes. "What's wrong, Liz?"  
  
"I'm better now, Max. Really," Liz said and took up her hands around his and gently pulled them away from her face.  
  
"Yeah, I know that. I can see that. But Liz, you were not okay five minutes ago. You were unconscious, Liz, or something worse and we need to find out what is wrong so I can heal you, so that it doesn't happen again!" Max said while in confusion watching Liz's eyes nervously dart around the room, looking everywhere but at him.  
  
"It was probably just the headache, and I haven't eaten in five hours. I'm probably dehydrated or something," Liz said and pushed Max away from her to get enough room to slip off the table. When she landed on her feet she swayed a little, feeling that her legs were still weak. To stop herself from falling she reached out and grabbed a hold of Max's shirt. At the same time Max reached out and steadied her with his hand around her arm.  
  
"We have more classes, Max," Liz continued talking so that Max wouldn't get a chance to tell her that she was still weak and still needed to rest.  
  
"But Liz-," Max started but was interrupted by Liz.  
  
"I'm fine, Max. I promise. Now, would you please unlock the door?"  
  
Still a bit dazed with the quick turn of events, Max hesitated a moment or two before going over to the door and unlocking it. As he watched Liz - scurry out of the room and hurry down the hallway with a "see you later, Max!" - she reminded him of a prisoner that had been locked up for years and was finally set free. 


	3. Book 1 Chapter 4

Hi guys!! Thank you so much for all the feedback and beautiful words. It means the world to me!! THANK YOU!  
  
Let's continue...shall we?  
  
[b]Chapter 4[/b]  
  
Liz was terrified. Afraid that she had cancer - a tumor growing in her brain causing the headache. The pain was excruciating and it was becoming more frequent now. as if it was warning her of something - something that needed to be stopped before it was too late. Perhaps it was for the best if Max connected to her and saw what was wrong. But in the Eraser room earlier today, she had almost made the mistake of letting him connect to her. She didn't know what he would see if he connected with her. She definitely didn't want him to see another version of himself, an older one. She didn't want him to see that she had faked the whole sleeping-with-Kyle thing. That would destroy everything she had worked so hard to keep in place. She could not allow Max to know. He would perhaps not understand the importance of staying away from her. It was better that she made him dislike her so that he by his own choice stayed away from her. But it felt so good to be his friend. To be close to him. She didn't know what to do. "I'm sooo confused," Liz thought while she buttoned up her uniform and stepped down into the diner.  
  
"Hi guys," Liz greeted her friends sitting in their regular booth. "What can I get you today?" "Hi Liz," Isabel said. "How are you feeling? Max said you had been having headaches." Liz carefully avoided Max's stare and looked into Isabel's eyes. "Yeah, it's just headaches, you know. Some are worse than others. It seems to help with rest though." "That's good," Isabel said while searching Liz's face for hidden messages. However, Liz did a good job covering up - she did not show anything that she didn't tell. Her real feelings were very well masked. The only one seeing through it was Max, feeling Liz's exhaustion through their connection. "I'll just have a Men in Black Blueberry Pie," Isabel said and watched Liz scribble it down. "I'll have a cherry coke," Max said. "Nothing else?" Liz asked.  
  
"Liz, have you eaten anything today?" Max asked trying desperately to catch Liz's attention as she seemed to find drawing doodles on her ordering pad of much greater interest. "Yeah, breakfast.and then.uhmm..well, breakfast.I have eaten breakfast," she answered without looking up. "Why don't you take a break and join us, Liz," Isabel said, observing the fragile girl. She was already very thin - she probably could not handle getting any thinner. "Oh, Isabel.I can't. It's like hundreds of people here and I can't leave Maria alone with Agnes," Liz said and looked over the dining area to confirm her words. The dining area was in fact crammed with people. "Liz, when Maria finds out you haven't eaten in all day, I'll bet that she'll be the first to force you to sit down and eat," Max said. Liz seem to ponder the suggestion to sit down for a while. "Okay.let me just tell Maria," Liz said and walked away missing Max's big smile.  
  
After three bites of her burger she was beginning to feel nauseous. She demonstratively pushed the plate away and began taking sips from her coke instead. "You have to eat some more, Liz," Max said. "I'm feeling nauseous, Max. I can't get another bite down," Liz said giving Max a stubborn look that said "back off" loud and clear. "Anyway, I need to get back to work." Liz rose and left the booth. Isabel looked at Max. "Maybe you [i]did[/i] get her pregnant," she said, referring to what Michael had implied earlier that day. Fortunately for Isabel, death-ray eyes was not a power possessed by Max.  
  
"Hi, Liz," a voice behind her said. She turned around and was met by the face of Maria's cousin Sean. "Oh, hi Sean," she said casually and anew turned her look down onto her ordering pad to read the order. Other days her memory was very sharp and she could easily remember her orders, even the large ones. But now she had problem remembering even the smaller ones - like the drinks. "How's it going?" Sean asked, while watching how Liz in a very un-Liz- Parker way searched under the counter for the cups to fill the coke in. "Ah, Liz.they are over there by the milkshake machine," Sean said and pointed towards the milkshake machine. Liz looked up at him in bewilderment and turned her head towards the milkshake machine. Oh yes, there they were - in the same place as they've always been in. "Oh, right," Liz mumbled and went to fill a cup of coke. "Are you all right, Liz?" Sean asked. "Yeah, yeah.I'm fine," Liz mumbled but she sounded far away - disconnected.  
  
Sean wrinkled his forehead and took a closer look at Liz and suddenly that Max guy was at her side. "Liz, let's sit down for a while," he said. Sean observed the couple with suspicion. How did Max know that something was wrong with Liz, when he was sitting at the other end of the restaurant? Liz hadn't even shown any signs that something was wrong. Sean watched how Liz let herself be led out through the swinging doors by Max, into the 'employers only' area. "Well, that was weird," Sean said to himself and left the CrashDown.  
  
"You have to stop doing this to yourself, Liz," Max said as soon as they were alone. "You have to let me connect with you!" "No, I can't Max!" Liz said and with a strained expression on her face she firmly prized Max's hands off her upper arms. "What do you mean you can't.?" Max started but when he saw how she was avoiding meeting his eyes it suddenly struck him what the problem was. "You are hiding something.and you are afraid that I will see what that is if I connect with you. Am I right?" "Max, I need to get back to the CrashDown," Liz said and tried to get to the door. But Max blocked her way with his body. "No, Liz! This has been going on for far too long, it has to stop. And it stops now, right here!" Max said with a hint of anger in his voice.  
  
Liz looked up into his eyes and saw that he was not kidding. He was deadly serious. How was she supposed to get out of this one? "It's just so personal, you know Max, and since we're aren't, you know,.together.anymore, I don't feel so comfortable sharing those things with you, you know." She was babbling and was unwillingly letting Max see her insecurities. "Liz, this is me.," Max began a little softer than before. "Yeah, it's you Max, and that's the problem!" Liz said and met Max's eyes with a stone glare. "Liz, don't play stupid! It's better that you get healthy - even if it means that I might see some personal things," Max said. "Nothing's wrong, Max," Liz exploded and her voice was now full of anger and annoyance. "I've told you! It's just a headache Max. I can't eat proper because I'm feeling sick and I can't sleep too well because I have nightmares! The nightmares and my lack of sleep are probably the source to why I have a headache in the first place and is feeling sick! So, just back off Max! I know that you are only trying to look out for me but it's really starting to get on my nerves! You don't have to pretend to care about me and be kind to me anymore! I hurt you, so that you could follow your destiny with Tess! Leave me alone and while you're at it, just leave all us humans alone, since you are only hurting us with your presence anyway! Because we know that sooner or later we have to say goodbye to you even if you try to convince yourself of otherwise, Max! So leave me alone!"  
  
With that she stormed out of the room, leaving a stunned Max behind her. One of her sentences echoed in his mind, "'I hurt you, so that you could follow your destiny with Tess.'" Had she intentionally hurt him? "I have to find out what's going on here," Max thought and walked back into the CrashDown with a loud sigh.  
  
[i]She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't want to look up and meet his. The feeling of panic was increasing the closer they got to the CrashDown. "Max, please help me," Liz thought. Then she realized that it was in fact Max that walked beside her. But then it hit her. That was not Max. She could not feel his presence and his eyes - those soulful eyes - did not have the same warmth as usual. Her mind reeled when she tried to figure out what was really happening. Nasedo was dead - dead! Max had told her himself that Nasedo had crumpled into dust when they had tried to heal him with the healing stones. Was there another shapeshifter? She was certain that the person beside her, with his arm around her waist, impersonating Max was NOT Max.  
  
She could now see the CrashDown in front of her. "I'm soon home," she thought and tried to calm herself down, but she was instead feeling an increasing sense of dread. Just then Max pushed her into one of the narrow allies. He was now standing in front of her, staring down at her with an unreadable expression in his face. That made Liz even more certain that it was not Max in front of her. His eyes were always the windows to his soul and she could always read all his emotions in them. But his eyes now sent a chill down her spine. "How about a kiss first," the person in front of her suggested with a wry grin on his face. "I really need to get home, Max," Liz said, trying to keep her voice steady. "You know how my mom gets when I'm not home in time." "Just one," Max said and lowered his head towards her.  
  
"No," Liz said. She put up both her hands and pushed Max away from her. She then started to walk really fast. She didn't know if she should run or not. Which was safest? To pretend that nothing was wrong and that she just wanted home or run like her life depended on it? She didn't have time to act on either of since she was pushed to the ground. She stopped her fall with her hands, and scraped of some of the skin in the process. Then she could feel his hot breath against her ear and she was turned around, now on her back. "Don't fuck with me," the person looking like Max hissed menacingly. "Let me go," Liz said forcefully and tried to get his hands of her. But the strength in his body that on more occasions than she could count had made her feel secure, was no working against her. That's when he hit her. The contact with his palm on her cheek was brief and hot, and tears started to stung her eyes. She bit back the tears threatening to fall, thinking that she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Without thinking she forcefully threw up her knee between his legs which made him cry out and fall backwards - away from her. She saw her chance and took it.  
  
"You bitch.," he mumbled while trying to control his emotions enough to stop her from escaping. She was on her feet now, running down the road. But her legs were short and the Max-look-alike was soon up on his feet taking up the hunting. "Please.please.," Liz desperately thought over and over again.[/i]  
  
Max sat up in his bed, his dream still fresh in his mind. He was repeatedly haunted with his experience of the White Room. The memory of the torture was still as clear in his mind as if it had happened yesterday. He was startled by a knock on his window. Believing it was Michael he was very surprised to see Liz standing there. The rain was pouring down. She was wearing what looked like a pair of pajama pants and a tank top under a raincoat. But it was her face that caught Max's attention. She was pale and looked petrified. She appeared to be hunted - her hunter wanting her dead.  
  
"My God, Liz. What are you doing here?" Max said when he opened the window to let her in. "Max.can I.can you just.can you just hold me?" Liz asked in a small voice. From where Max was standing he could see her shivering. "Liz, come in. It's freezing cold outside. You are all wet," Max said and held out his hand to help her inside. Her hand was cold and wet. But her grip was firm, like she was drowning and he was her anchor. On weak legs she tried to stand, but her shivering was so violent that her legs did not hold her up. She could feel Max warm hands taking a firm grip on her arms stopping her from falling. He carefully led her to his bed. "Wait her, Liz. I'm getting a towel and some dry clothes. Okay?" Max said and started to walk away from her. The grip of her hand on his stopped him and he turned towards her again. She was so scared.  
  
"Don't leave me, Max," Liz said without noticing the tears that had started to silently trickle down her cheeks. He kneeled in front of her and caressed her cheek with his free hand, stroking some of the tears away with his thumb. "Liz, listen to me. I'll be right back, okay? I'm just gonna go into the bathroom and get a towel, okay? Then I'll be right back." He looked into her eyes, waiting for her consent. The emotions he saw flickering through her eyes was something he would never forget and that night he promised himself that he would do anything in his power to protect her from now on - even if they only were friends. "Liz, I will not let anything happen to you. You have to trust me."  
  
With a small nod and the releasing of his hand Liz gave him her answer. He moved as fast as he could. Collecting a large towel from the bathroom and taking one of his T-shirts from the second drawer, he kneeled in front of her and looked her into the eyes. "We need to get you out of those clothes, Liz" Max said. He didn't know what had happened to her, what had made her so terrified - how she could be so scared. Whatever the reason, he would do anything in his power to make her feel safe again. Liz nodded and brought her hands up to free herself from the raincoat. Then she stood up to remove her pajama pants. Max steadied her. Her lips were turning blue from the cold and if possible she had started to shiver even more.  
  
Liz looked up into Max's eyes. "I know him. This is Max," she thought. She was so scared. It had only been a dream, but it had been so real. She could still feel how it felt to die. She could still feel the pain in her back, how she had been on fire. She realized that she was scaring Max half to death by coming here like this. But she didn't want to be alone and she didn't know where else to go. Max had been the natural choice. Even though it was his face that haunted her nightmare...  
  
She was now standing in front of the boy she loved, dressed only in her underwear and a tank top. The air around her was chilly and it was making goose bumps spread, soon covering her entire body. She didn't know what to do next. She did not wear a bra so she couldn't just remove her tank top in front of Max, now could she. She looked up into his eyes and felt a little guilty for putting that worried expression in his eyes. "Max.," she said. "Could you please turn around?" "Wha.," Max started and then he realized why and blushed. "Yeah, sure." When Max had turned around Liz pulled the hanker top over her head and then took the T-shirt laying beside her on the bed and pulled it over her head. The fabric was soft and smelled of Max. She closed her eyes and tried to stop the tears from falling. "Finished?" Max asked. "Yes," Liz answered.  
  
Max turned around. There she was. His goddess, sitting on the edge of his bed and wearing his T-shirt - which made her look very small and vulnerable. He took the towel and run it down her arms to take away most of the water. Then he moved the towel and started to dry her legs. His actions were so gentle it made Liz's efforts to restrain her tears so much more difficult. When he was done, he stood up and sat down behind Liz and ran his fingers through her hair. The warmth radiated from his hands, extending from the top of her head and continuing throughout her body. She could feel how her hair was starting to dry. When he removed his hands and stood up again, Liz whispered a soft 'Thank you'.  
  
Max removed the covers and signaled for Liz to lie down. She crawled under the covers and watched Max as he got a blanket from his wardrobe and spread it over her. Then he crawled into bed next to her and did what she had earlier begged him to do standing outside his window. "Come here," he said and encircled her in his arms. She curled up close to him and felt an immense sense of relief and completion flood over her. "What happened, Liz?" Max asked slowly, holding her closer in order to stop her shivers. "It's.it's really.stupid, Max," Liz stuttered. "Liz.you come here in the middle of the night, in the rain, and you are in shock. Whatever happened cannot be stupid," Max said softly. "It was just. a nightmare," Liz said quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?" Max asked, while moving his arm up and down Liz's arm to warm her up. "Someone was hunting me and he. he." "What, Liz?" Max asked when she grew silent. "He was killing me, Max," Liz whispered. "I could feel myself dying." A sob escaped her throat, indicating that she had reached her breaking point and her tears started to flow freely down her cheeks. She crawled even closer to Max and he could feel her tears wetting his T-shirt. "Shh, get some sleep, Liz," Max hushed. "You're safe now." With Max's arms securely wrapped around her, Liz drifted off to sleep.  
  
During their sleep Liz had turned and was now laying with her back towards Max's chest, her body snuggled close to Max's body with her head under his chin. In his sleep Max hands had crept under Liz's T-shirt. The fingers of one of his hands were spread out over her ribs, while the other hand was positioned just underneath the swell of Liz's left breast.  
  
Liz was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings and it didn't take her long to realize the location of one of Max's hands. His strong grip on her body warmed the very core of her heart. Carefully, in order not to wake him, she moved one of her hands under the T-shirt and took Max's hand, gently removing it from underneath her breast. Behind her she could feel him awakening. "Morning," he mumbled in her ear. "Morning," Liz said and lacing her fingers with his.  
  
"I could get used to this," Max thought as he found himself waking up beside Liz again. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Well, I have a strong urge to kiss you breathless," Liz thought, but answered, "Great, actually." Max, unaware of the trip his hand had taken during their sleep, smiled. He had been so afraid that something terrible had happened to her. "How are your symptoms?" Max asked. "My symptoms?" Liz repeated incredulously. "Yeah, any headaches.?" Max clarified. "Oh.well, I'm feeling just great now," Liz said. "Actually, I felt great every since I crawled through your window last night," Liz thought as the close proximity to Max's body was starting to effect her body. Max became aware of the fact that although one of his hands was held by Liz's hand, his other hand was under her T-shirt sprawled over her ribs, the naked skin of her ribs. About the same place that he had healed her about a year ago. If he just moved his hands some inches higher he would encounter her soft. "NO. Stop it Max!" he scolded himself. "That's great," he said while he stopped himself from groaning when Liz wiggled under his arms to turn to face him. "You know what, Max?" she said as her eyes met his. "I think we do far too much talking." Max could see how her otherwise doe brown eyes were now almost black. He remembered when her face had looked that the last time. It had been.  
  
Before he had time to consult more with his memories Liz's soft lips were crashing down on his with a fierce urgency that surprised him. He could feel the familiar electricity surge through his body. She was kissing him like he was her last meal. Her tongue demanded entry into his mouth and he gladly gave it to her - deepening their kiss. Their tongues tangled together, exploring, feeling like they couldn't get enough of each other. Max sought out every deep cavern of her mouth - not a millimeter of her mouth went unexplored. He wanted her all. Everything they had missed and desired during their weeks apart was poured into that kiss. They reluctantly broke apart, feeling the need of oxygen, but only to come crashing down on each other again two seconds and about three heavy breaths later.  
  
When their lips hungrily sought their partner out and their tongues explored each other, their hands went on a little exploring of their own. Liz was lying on top of Max now, and her hands had slipped under his T- shirt moving over his taut muscles - feeling them ripple under her touch. One of Max's hands were on the back of her head, urging her head closer to his, while his other hand was running up and down her back under her shirt.  
  
Liz had never felt anything like it. This was not even anything like when they had experienced all those heightened feelings at Michael's place before finding the orb. Up until now that had been the most erotic moment of Liz's life. Now, she felt as if she was on fire. She was glowing from the inside and she didn't want to stop. Instinctively she knew that she wanted to go as far with Max as she possibly could. She didn't listen to reason anymore, she acted completely on emotions, feelings and what her heart told her.  
  
And then the flashes hit them. All their earlier kisses flashed under their eyelids making their wants for each other intensify (if that was possible). "Max.Max.," she lightly moaned into his mouth. Her sounds were slowly driving Max insane. He wanted her so badly. All of her. He could feel it with every fiber of his being. "Max.make love to me." It was Liz's plea that dragged him out of his desire- dazed existence. What was he doing? Liz had come and sought comfort and he decides to ravish her? He pulled out his hand from under her shirt, released her lips and looked up into her face. She really looked ravished. Her hair was tousled, her lips were red and swollen and her breathing was quick. "Max.what?" she asked confused trying to regain control over her emotions. "Liz, we can't do this," Max said, while he himself struggled with keeping his emotions in check. It was not easy when Liz was leaning over him, straddling his upper body - with her inner thighs touching the sides of his torso and her eyes black with desire. Liz blinked and tried to clear her mind. Unsuccessful in her task she leaned down again towards Max's lips to do what her body was screaming at her to do. "I know..I know," she panted and started kissing him again. Max was once again lost in his Liz-world. Max's lips dropped lower and he started kissing along her neckline. In an effort to get even closer to Max, as close as she could with their pieces of clothing stopping them from becoming really intimate, Liz started to move her hips towards his now obvious arousal in an attempt to fill the void and ache in her abdomen. "God.Liz," Max groaned and then the alarm of the alarm clock went off.  
  
Throwing a bucket of cold water over them had about attained the same effect as that alarm did. Startled they tore apart from each other and while the desire started to disperse, they realized where they were and how dangerously closed they were to be caught in the act by Max's parents. Liz slowly climbed of Max, who tried to calm himself down by thinking of mud. He was highly aware of Liz sitting beside him, straightening out her hair and breathing heavily. "You okay?" he asked her. "I didn't mean to." "Max, please," Liz said and smiled. "It's not your fault. It was I who attacked you, remember?!" "Right," Max said and blushed. He looked so cute that Liz wanted to attack him all over again. Liz cleared her throat. "Uhmm.so I guess we're okay now?" Liz asked, referring to the fact that their 'friendship' had suddenly been transformed into something entirely different. "Yeah.," Max said slowly. It struck Liz that they really hadn't straightened anything out yet. She had still betrayed him - he still thought she slept with Kyle. Was this the moment to tell him? "Look, Max. There's something I think you should kno." She was interrupted by a knock on the door. By reflex she dodged under the covers hiding from anyone who decided to enter the room. "Max, honey. Are you up?" Liz heard Mrs. Evans call. "Don't worry," Liz heard Max whisper to her. "She never opens the door." "Yeah, mom. I'm up!" Max called back. "Breakfast's ready," Mrs. Evans said. "Okay," Max answered and they heard the retreating sound of her steps.  
  
Max gentle pulled down the cover that Liz had pulled over her face. Liz could feel the cover disappearing and was met by a smiling Max. "He really should smile more," she thought. He kissed her gentle on the forehead and the look he had in his eyes held promises of a bright future. "Maybe you should get home," he said. "You're clothes are probably dry by now." Liz sat up so fast that she almost knocked Max over. "Oh God Max!" she exclaimed with a look of terror in her eyes. "My parents! They never wake me up in the morning, but I am sure that they will today because I'm not gonna be there! Oh God, oh God." Max could do nothing than watch her with an amused grin on his face while she pulled her pajama pants up over her hips, still chanting 'oh God, oh God' like a mantra. She left Max's T-shirt on. She was not ready to be separated from it just yet. She pulled on the coat and run up to Max and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before with a quick 'see you later' she left his room through the window. "Damn, she's quick," Max thought 


	4. Book 1 Chapter 5

Thank you, Patty for the feedback! And everybody who reads this. Please tell me what you think! It means a lot to me, and often has this weird effect on me that it makes me update faster *hint hint*  
  
Chapter 5  
  
She felt a prickling sensation down her spine and a feeling of dread was seeping into every cell of her body. Slowly turning her head her eyes searched the hallway. She could not find anything different or unusual. The hallway was slowly starting to fill up with the regular high school students preparing themselves for their first class of the day.  
  
Liz shakily drew inhaled and turned back towards her locker. Setting the feeling that she was being followed apart, she had not felt this good in months. No headaches, no nausea. She had actually been able to eat a steady breakfast for the first time in a very long time. The edges of her mouth started to turn up into a smile when she could feel him coming closer.  
  
"Hi, Max," she greeted softly with her back still turned against him.  
  
His strong arms encircled her small waist and she automatically leaned back against him - drawing strength and warmth from him. Her heart started to beat faster when she felt his warm moist lips on her neck and she bent her head more to the side to give him more freedom to explore. He was making his way from the top of her neck to the juncture where her neck met her shoulder (where the hem of her shirt became an obstacle). His bottom lip was slightly dragged along her skin leaving it wet from his assault. The cool air hit her skin where his lips had touched her and the contrast of the cool air against his warm lips did the most incredible things to her. She was fast become lost in the feeling and scent of Max Evans. But as fast as it had started, it was over again (at least it seemed too short time to Liz) and Max's lips left her craving for more. He rested his chin on her shoulder and lightly touched the skin of her stomach where the hem of her shirt had ridden up.  
  
"Hi," Max said.  
  
"I could really get used to this, you know," Liz said softly. Both were completely lost to their surroundings, neither noting the fact that they were in fact standing in the middle of a high school with students talking loudly to each other around them.  
  
"Ditto," Max said breathing in her scent and feeling completely content. Liz was like a drug and he was an addict. She was as important to him as oxygen. They still had some things to discuss, like for instance that he was certain that she was hiding something from him. But for the moment, Max was too happy to be let into Liz's life again. Every time the thought had struck him that he should talk to her, he had been distracted by the memory of her soft hair, her soft lips, her taste... and yeah. You get the picture. Max Evans had big concentrations issues when it came to Liz Parker.  
  
"Hey guys! What are you up to?"  
  
Maria eyed Max and Liz suspiciously when they broke apart from an embrace that looked.very intimate.  
  
"Oh, hay Maria," Liz said, her voice a little higher than usual.  
  
"Caught in the act," Maria thought and started to smile as she saw the guilty antics of her friends. Max stepped away from Liz, but he still held onto her hand. Liz licked her lips and pulled down her shirt to once again completely cover her flat stomach.  
  
"So, did you do that history assignment?" Max asked while he scratched his head.  
  
Maria had now a large smile on her face, silently laughing at them for even trying to cover this up - in such a bad way too!  
  
"Oh, stop it!" Maria said. "You two are sooo bad! Don't even think for a second that you can fool me that you were not doing what I thought you were doing."  
  
"Uhmm, what did you think we were doing, Maria?" Liz asked still acting innocent.  
  
"Yeah, like you were not standing here in a very intimate embrace and doing God knows!" Maria said in her best you-most-be-kidding-me voice. Before Max and Liz knew what hit them, Maria squealed and started bouncing up and down, not able to contain herself anymore.  
  
"Oh, this is sooo great! I just knew you couldn't stay apart from each other too long. You were both so miserable - you just can't live without each other! Oh, I gotta tell Mi.."  
  
With a shocked expression on his face (and Maria's babbling in the background) Max met Liz's eyes. She just shook her head and smiled.  
  
"Maria, Maria.Calm down!" Liz said.  
  
"Oh, Max! I'm so happy for you!" Maria squealed again and attacked Max trapping him in a big bear hug.  
  
Liz could not help but giggle at Max inability to free himself from Maria. Alien king or not - when dealing with Maria Deluca - and especially her over-excited state - one needs all the help one can get. Liz felt a little sorry for Max when his eyes begged her to help him. Maria finally released her poor victim, turning to Liz.  
  
"Liz, babe! You and me. Tonight. Ice-cream." she said, her voice leaving no room for objections.  
  
"Okay, Maria," Liz said feeling up to a girls' night herself.  
  
Maria couldn't hide her triumphant smile. "See ya!" Maria said and headed off down the corridor.  
  
"Wow," Max whispered. "What was that?"  
  
"Just Maria...being Maria," Liz said and stretched up to lightly brush her lips over his. That light kiss did not keep it's lightness for too long.  
  
A tap on Max's shoulder (unnoticed by the couple) and then a clearing of a throat (which was noted) broke them apart.  
  
Mr. Seligman, the biology teacher, stood behind Max and eyed them with an amused expression, raising one eyebrow.  
  
"I believe you two should be in my class in about two minutes. Maybe you should get ready." he pointed out.  
  
Max and Liz's faces went red and Liz lowered her head to hide her embarrassment in Max's shoulder.  
  
"Yeah," Max said and then had to clear his throat. "We'll be right there."  
  
"No visits to the Eraser Room instead, okay?" Mr. Seligman said. He witnessed how Max face turned blazing red and chuckled for himself when he began his walk towards his classroom.  
  
"Okay, that was embarrassing," Max mumbled.  
  
"Uh hu," Liz nodded and left Max warm embrace.  
  
"We should probably..."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
When they started to walk towards the biology classroom their hands were automatically gravitated towards each other and an unseen sparkle was emitted at their touch when their hands were laced together.  
  
  
  
Following from a distance was a pair of cold ice-blue eyes.  
  
"You just wait, Your highness. Playing time will soon be over."  
  
  
  
"Do you have the spoons?!" Liz yelled.  
  
"Yup!" Maria called back, grabbing two spoons from the kitchen drawer as she followed Liz up in the apartment.  
  
"Ice-cream?!" Liz yelled and grew silent when Maria stepped out in front of her.  
  
"Don't worry, Liz. We're only eating ice-cream - not planning an alien attack." Maria winked and swished past Liz, dropping down on Liz's bed.  
  
"Ha ha, very funny." Liz positioned herself beside Maria, strething out her legs on the bed, crossing them at the ancles.  
  
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Liz asked pulling off the lid of the ice-cream.  
  
"Uh hu, nice try," Maria laughed. "I suspect that no one in the entire school have missed how you and a certain unearthly Max Evans have been all over each other all day. Well, perhaps my cranky non-boyfriend has missed it. Anyway, don't think I don't have my ways to get information. I've had hourly updates on the whole Max-and-Liz situation - as it nowadays is referred to, by the way - in our own lovely" Liz giggled at Maria's sarcastic tone "ladies' rest-room... So, what happened Liz? Less than a week ago you two were miserable and as I recall you were absolutely convinced that it was completely and utterly wrong to get involved with Max romantically again. God, you even yelled at me over it! So, give me all the tasty details!"  
  
Liz could only laugh at her friend. Maria was so excited and curious you had to be dead not to be smitten by her emotions. Her excitement was coming off her in waves, she was almost bouncing in Liz's bed - reminding Liz of a child on Christmas Day.  
  
"Well, you know my nightmares..." Liz started.  
  
"Yeah..." Maria prompted.  
  
"They are really scary, Maria," Liz said her voice becoming low.  
  
At first Maria was about to start accusing her for trying to get away but then she saw how serious Liz turned and Maria became worried for her friend.  
  
"Lizzie, are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"You know, Max is always there for me. I feel safe with him," Liz continued not noticing the tears sliding down her face. "When I woke up I was so scared and all I could think about was that I had to get to Max. Like my life depended on it or something, isn't that stupid!"  
  
Maria smiled a sad smile but Liz didn't notice - she was looking down at the ice-cream in her hand where she absent-mindedly smoothed out the ice- cream with her spoon.  
  
"What happened, Liz. In your dream?" Maria asked. Liz looked up and Maria's heart broke for her friend. She could see that just thinking about the dream again was scaring her.  
  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Liz. We can talk about something else," Maria said, hating to make her friend upset.  
  
"I really think I need to talk about it and you are probably the only person I can talk about it with," Liz said, her voice thin. Maria reached out and took Liz's hand and Liz gave her a grateful smile.  
  
"I have been having the same dream...nightmare for about a month now, but last night it was really...horrible," a small sob ripped through her throat but she continued. When she finally had started talking she had to get it all off her chest. "I am being followed, Maria," Liz said and looked Maria straight into her eyes. "It is dark and really cold and then suddenly Max is there..."  
  
"Max?" Maria repeats surprised. "It should be a good thing that Max is in her nightmare, right? Maria thought. "He would save her from whatever monster there might be...why do I feel like he is the monster?"  
  
Maria's suspicions are confirmed when Liz with a trembling voice continues.  
  
"I know that it isn't Max. I can't feel him."  
  
"You can't feel him?" Maria asked in disbelief.  
  
"You know that Max and I have this...connection," Liz said.  
  
"Yeah right, the connection," Maria nodded, thinking that she never really understood just what their connection meant.  
  
"Since Max healed me, or perhaps even before that, I can feel him...sense him...when he's near. In my dream I couldn't sense him Maria and I knew it wasn't Max." Liz grew quiet, her movements of the spoon growing still. Maria patiently waits for her to continue, without wanting to rush her. When Liz felt ready to continue she would.  
  
"Max...or his look-alike...wants to follow me home," Liz draws a trembling breath, "I let him follow me home, because I think that if he believes that I don't suspect anything he won't do anything. Suddenly he is dragging me inside this...alley and he tries ki...kissing me. I push him away and then I'm on the ground and he's trying to... I don't know what he's trying to do. But I get away and start running. But he is so fast, Maria, he is so fast," Liz is openly crying now, "and I fall and then I'm being burned alive. He's killing me and I'm... dying. I'm dying."  
  
"Oh my God Liz," Maria said feeling her own tears start to pool in her eyes. She puts the ice-cream away and put her arms around her best friend to give her the best comfort that she can.  
  
"Perhaps you should tell Max," Maria whispers softly.  
  
Liz's head jerks up and to Maria's surprise Liz looks terrified.  
  
"No Maria! I can't tell Max. He is already so worried. I probably scared him even more when I showed up outside his window in the middle of the night."  
  
"You did?" Maria asked softly.  
  
Liz nodded.  
  
"And he was great... But you know Max. He puts everything on his own shoulders and I don't want to worry him anymore."  
  
"But didn't he want to know what was wrong?" Maria asked.  
  
"I told him....but only the end of the dream. I don't want him to know that he was in my dream - because it really wasn't him in my dream."  
  
"You know, you two are so much alike. You too put far too much responsibility on yourself, Liz - you two are so afraid of hurting everyone else. But when you try to protect the people around you from the horrible naked truth you're only hurting yourself. Liz, I'm glad you told me, you need to get it off your chest. But Max... I have this feeling that he needs to know, for him to be able to help you. And knowing Max he will probably be more hurt if you don't tell him because you wanted to spare his feelings, than if you do tell him and make him more worried. Let's be honest, Liz. It's Max - he will always worry. We can't exactly make him stop doing that!"  
  
"But telling him will only add to his worries, Maria!" Liz said with a sigh. She wanted to tell him - not just about her nightmares but also about everything that had kept them apart since she had left him on that cliff with his destiny in May.  
  
"He worries because he cares, Liz," Maria said. "He loves you."  
  
Liz looked down at her hands neatly folded in her knee.  
  
"I know he does," Liz whispered.  
  
"Good, and you love him. So tell him! It's as simple as that."  
  
"Maria, there are more issues to deal with here than my nightmare, you know."  
  
"You haven't tol....," it suddenly dawned on Maria what Liz was imlying, "Liz, you haven't told him about future Max yet?" Maria said shocked and watched as Liz shook her head.  
  
"You mean, he still believes you slept with Kyle?"  
  
Liz nodded her head, her facial expression masked with complete misery.  
  
"But-but...you have to tell him, Liz," Maria said, like doing anything else was out of the question.  
  
"Maria...I can't tell him. What if everything I have done this last months to keep the end of the world from happening, is gonna happen just because he knows."  
  
"Liz, I hate to break it to you. But you two are already getting involved with each other again, wasn't that what you were trying to prevent?"  
  
Liz covered her head in her hands and whispered, agonized. "I know Maria! I screwed up. I can't stay away from him and now all those innocent people are going to die and it will all be my fau-"  
  
"Liz, stop it. Stop it!" Maria said, bending Liz's hands away from the act of covering her face so that she could look at her friend.  
  
"I know that Future Max probably had gone through his options thoroughly before deciding to deprive his younger self from a life with you, a life he got. But I'm certain that you Liz was right there with him, the future version of you, and decided to do it as well. You have to cut yourself some slack! I have never met anyone - and then I mean anyone - who is more right for each other than you and Max. I have not met anyone who is more in love with each other..."  
  
"Maybe it's just not meant to be," Liz interrupted.  
  
Maria sighed. Liz was the smarter one of them, that Maria was certain of. But when it came to Max, Liz's intelligence could really be questioned.  
  
"I mean, first of all we have the basic problem that we are of different species..."  
  
"Which just makes it even more incredible that you work together," Maria insisted.  
  
"Yeah, if it just have been that easy. But then he happens to be an alien king as well and he is already married. And even if he decides to don't give a damn about his destiny, like the future version of him did, he will probably marry me and the whole world will come to a screeching halt."  
  
"God, and I thought I was the drama queen!" Maria said. "You can't go saving the world every day, Liz. Not if it's breaking you down in the process. Think about yourself for a change - I think that would be good for you. And God, tell Max that you didn't sleep with Kyle. If I know Max at all, he will be more pissed at himself than at you, since it was in fact he that told you to 'sleep with Kyle'."  
  
"No, actually. It was my idea to 'sleep' with Kyle," Liz said.  
  
"Whatever," Maria waved her off. "You can't pursue something with him without letting him know the truth. It would be like basing your relationship on a lie."  
  
Liz nodded. She knew that Maria was right. Even though she feared what she knew she had to do, she would try to talk to Max as soon as possible. Maria watched all the different emotions transpire over Liz's face and decided that they had had enough of world problems for the night.  
  
"Okay Lizzie, so what do you think about that new guy at school?" Maria's eyes suddenly glittered with excitement and Liz couldn't help but giggle. Maria was good - Liz could feel her worries slowly sliding off her (for now anyway) and she settled back against the headboard of her bed, folding her legs in Indian style and with a small smile grazing her beautiful features, she listened to her best friend going on about this and that, leaving all alien-related topics out of it. Liz was grateful to have such good friends. Sometimes the clouds dissipated and the sun shone through. 


	5. Book 1 Chapter 6

Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter!!  
  
Thank you Akashaa, Val, Patty, and Katie for leaving feedback! It means a lot to me!!  
  
[b]Chapter 6[/b]  
  
Her eyes were fixed on the girl's still figure. That girl, who had stolen her mate, was sleeping in her bed - oblivious to the danger she was in. Vulnerable, just as she liked her. She wasn't such a bitch unconscious, was she?  
  
Liz shifted under her covers - troubled by the images her nightmare subjected her to. Her watcher closed her eyes and furrowed her forehead in deep concentration, focusing on putting images of Liz's boyfriend with another girl in Liz's mind. However, three long minutes later she had to stop from exhaustion. She couldn't get in - that human girl was strong enough to resist her. That made her furious and with great difficulty she finally calmed down and resisted the urge to open the window to Liz's bedroom and just kill her in her sleep. "I have to stick to the plan," she thought. "But with her being too stubborn to participate maybe extreme measures must be taken!" With a frustrated sigh she climbed down the ladder - leaving Liz's balcony behind her.  
  
"We are not making any progress. Why has that Parker girl not left Max yet? It seems as if they are only growing closer!" The man slammed his fist in the table, making Tess jump. "Weren't you the one who always told us that emotions were a weakness?" she asked with a smirk. "That just proves it - I have been on this fucking planet far too long!" Nasedo said. "I want to kill her!" Tess said, showing her true self-absorbed brat nature. "And where would that leave us?" Nasedo asked, his voice once again emotionless. "Max would never co-operate with us then. He would be grieving that human and would be more difficult to work with. We can't afford to have that. We have to make her leave him - make him stop caring for her." "I can't get through," Tess said. Nasedo stood up, towering over the sitting Tess. "What do you mean you 'can't get through'?" "That bitch is resisting me - I can't enter her mind," Tess answered, shrinking back from his menacing stare. "She's just a human," Nasedo said. "You have never had problem with humans before, have you?!" "I..." "HAVE YOU?!" Nasedo yelled. "No, I haven't," Tess answered, and then regaining her composure. "And don't you dare yell at me. I am your queen!" Nasedo snorted and smiled - a smile which sent shivers down Tess's spine. "[i]You[/i] are only queen when Max decides you are his queen. Without him you're nothing!" His voice was edged with disgust when he looked at the pitiful alien that was supposed to rule by Max's side. Too bad that the Liz Parker girl was human - she had more potential to be a queen in her pinkie than Tess would ever have. "Well," Nasedo said. "If we can't mess with her mind - and we both know that Max have built up some protective wall against your mind warp - I'll guess we have to do it the human way." Nasedo's voice was frightening calm. "I will actually enjoy this human way. Ms. Parker is actually quite a catch." "What are going to do?" Tess asked, narrowing her eyes. "I'm gonna make Liz Parker hate our leader and it ain't gonna be beautiful. Well, at least not for her..."  
  
"So he asked you out on a date, huh?" Maria asked. Liz's smile was very contagious. "Yeah," she said dreamily. "He is just so sweet." "Yeah yeah yeah," Maria sighed and threw a longing look in Michael's direction. Liz followed the detour of Maria's eyes. "Why don't you guys join us?" Liz asked Maria. Maria looked back at Liz. "Liz...NO - absolutely not. Have you already forgotten how disastrous our last double date was? And anyway - this is your first date since all hell broke loose and you certainly need it." Before we all begin climbing the walls. "Come on, Maria - it'll be fun," Liz begged, fluttering her lashes at Maria. "No, Lizzie," Maria laughed. "I'm not going out with spaceboy - if he don't want a chick waiting for him at home, I will not force him." "What?" Liz asked, confused. Maria shook her hand in front of her as she shook her head. "Forget it! I'll show you what I mean, come here!"  
  
Maria put up her index finger in front of her mouth and with a 'shh' she silently began to (with a bit exaggerating movements) tiptoe down the stairs to the CrashDown. Liz had to put her hand against her mouth to prevent a giggle from erupting. Maria really looked ridiculous. "Oh spaceboy!" Maria yelled into Micheal's ear, after noiselessly having sneaked up behind his back. Michael almost jumped out of his skin and turned around so quickly that he spilled out the bag of buns on the counter beside the grill. Both Maria and Liz erupted in fits of laughter. Michael's face went blazing red - first from embarrassment but then to quickly be replaced by anger. That made the girls laugh even harder.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Michael cried. "Oh, aren't you suppose to be this head of the army guy? Maybe you should practice on watching your back!" Maria laughed. Michael glared at her. "Humans," he thought. "So, spaceboy. You and me - and Liz and Max of course - tonight. Date. Deal?" "Eh...no," Michael said, like Maria was stupid just to come up with the thought. "It's just a date, Michael," Maria said. "I just got my paycheck so I can pay this time too." "Hockey," Michael said and turned towards the grill again considering the discussion over. "I'm sorry...what?" Maria said. "It's hockey on TV - I don't have time to sit and socialize at a stupid restaurant with the love birds and [i]you[/i]!" Michael explained, like it was a matter of course. "Oh, and what's so terrible about spending some time with me, Michael?" Maria asked and Liz hinted a trace of irritation in her voice.  
  
"Okay Maria, I think you've made your point now," Liz said and took a firm grip of Maria's elbow - trying desperately to stop a fight from arising. "Yeah, take her away - I can't work with her constantly chattering in my ear," Michael said and nonchalantly waved with his spatula in Maria's direction. "Chattering, huh..." Maria said, now pissed off. Liz started to drag her out of Michael's reach before Maria could choke Michael. "You're lucky, Michael! But I will remember this!" "Whatever," Michael murmured. "Okay, calm down Maria," Liz said. "I'm calm," Maria lied and prized Liz's hands off her elbow. As if to further emphasize the small lie she opened her locker and took out a bottle of cedar oil and sniffed it. "Anyway, how do you think that Michael wants to go out with you after you've embarrassed him?" Liz asked, note quite understanding the Maria- logic. "A girl needs her fun," Maria said. "Anyway, we need to get you out of those clothes and turn you into a beauty, babe!" "Okay," Liz giggled and let her be led up to her room to get the make-over that would meet Maria's expectations.  
  
"So, where are the others?" Liz asked Max with a smile. Max was having great difficulty to get his key into the lock of the door when Liz was seductively leaning against him, nuzzling his ear. "Uhm...Mom is out to dinner with some co-workers...and Dad is away on a business trip." Max gave up on the key and used his powers instead to open the door. "Isabel is out with Alex-" "She is?" Liz asked, stepping away from Max to allow them to step through the door. "But I thought Alex had a long-distance thing going with Lena in Sweden..." Max shrugged his shoulders - not really interested in talking about Alex and his relationship when he had Liz alone for himself in his house. He was really not interested in talking at all. "I think they are only going out as friends," Max said. "That's really gre-" "Liz, can we stop talking about Alex now?" Max asked. "Okay, what do you suggest we do instead?" Liz asked with a twinkle in her eye. "Well, one or two ideas come to mind..," Max said lowering his lips towards Liz's.  
  
His lips lightly brushed against hers and the tip of his tongue began an exploration of her bottom lip. Liz opened her mouth slightly, welcoming him to deepen the kiss. Max stepped closer to her and his hand found its way under her shirt, caressing the warm skin of the back. Liz couldn't get enough of him. His touches ignited something buried deep inside of her and she wanted more. She angled her head more to give him access to deepen the kiss further, their tongues mimicking the oldest dance of man. Max's lips left hers to begin its travel down her neck. He quickly found the spots which made the greatest effect on her and stopped there - applying them with just right amount of suction. Liz arched her body against his. Was there anything greater than this? Liz thought to herself.  
  
With one of his hands in a firm grip around her waist, Max moved backwards into the living room and still holding on to Liz, Max collapsed over the armrest of the couch. Max was now on his back in the sofa, with Liz draped over his chest. Liz's small hands found their way under Max's shirt, feeling the texture of his firm muscles. It amazed her how he could feel firm, yet soft at the same time. The last time she had explored his chest - that night in February - she had not felt brave enough to freely explore, not as much as she had wanted to. The fire inside of her now made her willing to do anything to him...  
  
Max looked up into Liz's eyes as they both came up for air. Her eyes had taken on that dark nuance that he recognized fairly well by now. The route that her small hands were taking along his chest awoke things and feelings inside of him - primitive feelings. Her soft lips came crashing down on his again and his hand on the back of her head urged her lips even closer. His Liz-dazed mind vaguely registrated that Liz had started to unbutton his shirt.  
  
Liz unbuttoned the last button and her hands spread the shirt apart. She lifted her lips from Max's and looked down at the chest in front of her. He was so beautiful, she thought. Looking him over - with Max's eyes on her every movement - the urge to taste him suddenly overwhelmed her senses.  
  
When Liz lowered her head towards his chest, Max held his breath in anticipation. When her soft, warm lips touched his chest he gasped. God! Liz's mouth traveled over his chest, imprinting every bundle, every detail of his body in her mind. She fascinated watched his muscles ripple under her assault. She brushed her lips over his dark nipple and he groaned. Liz stopped and looked up at his face. He had his eyes closed and his breathing was heavy. She experimentally brushed over his nipple again to once more earn the same response. His low moans in the back of his throat urged her to take the nipple fully in her mouth.  
  
"God, Liz," Max gasped. "What are you doing to me?" he thought. Liz was mesmerized by the fact that she could make him sound like that - that she, Liz Parker, could make Max Evans lose control. It was an alluring feeling to have such power over him. Max couldn't stand it anymore - he had to feel her, taste her. He rose up in sitting position. Liz confused met his eyes. "Max, what are yo-"  
  
But before she could answer that question, Max had risen from the couch with Liz in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and while kissing and sucking her neck, Max made his way towards the stairs. Miraculously they reached Max's room without any accidents and Max lowered Liz onto his bed. He pulled back to look at the goddess in front of him. "Beautiful," he murmured. "You are so beautiful."  
  
His lips sought out hers, their tongues mimicked the act of lovemaking. Max had settled himself between her thighs and they were pressing their bodies together in an effort to reduce the aching and emptiness they could feeling building inside of them. Max's hands once again moved under Liz's shirt. His slow stroking against her ribs and under the swells of her breast was slowly driving Liz crazy and she longed for him to move his hands higher.  
  
Max pulled back, certain that he had heard her inside his mind - urging him to move further. His eyes search hers and with one look she gave him permission to go further. He lowered his hands to the hem of her shirt and started pulling it up. Liz raised her arms to facilitate the removal of her shirt, leaving Liz in only her bra. With one more obstacle out of the way, Liz watched Max as he marveled looked at her chest, which was lowering up and down from the heavy breathing. Liz had always believed that when she would get into this situation she would feel a little exposed and perhaps a little embarrassed. But she didn't. The love that shone in Max's eyes was sufficient to wipe away all her insecurities and make her feel completely loved.  
  
Max's warm fingers gentle brushed along her the curve of her collar bone to rest just above her breast. Liz was ready to fell apart right there if Max didn't move further. Without knowing it, Max was tormenting Liz with his decision to go slow and not do anything that Liz wasn't ready to do. But Liz was ready - boy, was she ready! "Max, please," Liz pleaded. Max looked up into her eyes and then gently brushed his lips towards hers, pouring all the love he had for her into that kiss. Liz was amazed that one kiss that gentle could at the same time be so passionate. Liz pressed her lips closer against his and arched her breast up into his hand in the process. Both gasped at the contact. When having recuperated from the jolts of electricity surging through their bodies, Max started kissing Liz again - the gentleness now replaced by a fierce passion. He moved his hand around her body, between the sheets and her back and found the clasp of the bra. After fumbling a while with the clasp the bra was removed. Max released Liz's lips and looked at her as a little bit of heaven revealed itself to him. She was so beautiful. Her breast was so small, yet so perfect.  
  
"Perfect," he murmured and gently touched the soft skin of her breast. At the contact Liz arched her body up into his hand with a moan, encouraging him to continue his exploration. Max, for a moment captivated by the fact that her breast fitted perfectly in the palm of his hand - like she was made for him, brushed his hand over the pink nipple. Liz moaned deep in her throat. Liz knew that if she died now, she would die a very happy woman! Then his mouth closed over her nipple and all thoughts were wiped out of her mind as she was lowered in a sea of pleasure.  
  
That's when destiny decided to take its own turn on things and then phone ringed. Max's mouth left Liz's breast and the cold air hit Liz. She felt a feeling of unfulfillment settling over her. Max looked up at her and with a brush of his lips over hers and a soft 'sorry', he pulled off her, and took a deep breath to calm himself down and get his mind working. He then reached over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" he said, his breathing still strained. "Max," Maria's voice exclaimed at the other side of the line. "Hi, Maria," Max said, watching Liz pull her shirt back over her head out of the corner of his eye and silently promised himself that he would make Maria regret that she had decided to call him just tonight.  
  
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Maria said. "Well, I was kinda busy," Max answered. "Okay..I-I just uhm wanted to know what-uhm which of the assignments in English that we were suppose to do," Maria stuttered. Max smelled a rat. Liz climbed up in his lap and snuggled close to his chest. "Max? Helllooo - Max?" Maria said, when she didn't get an answer. Max had been fairly distracted by having Liz in his lap placing small feather-like kisses over his, still naked, chest. "Yeah, yeah Maria, I'm here," Max answered. "Is Liz there?" Maria asked. "As a matter of fact, yes she is," Max said. Liz looked up at him, suspecting that they were now discussing her. "Put her on," Maria demanded. Max put the receiver against Liz's ear, with a soft 'she wants to talk to you'. Liz straightened up and took the receiver from Max.  
  
"Maria! What's up?" she asked. "Liz, what are you doing?" Maria scolded. Liz suddenly felt the need to defend herself. "What do you mean, Maria?" Liz asked. "Don't think I don't know what you are doing!" Maria said. A light went up for Liz. "You wanted to interrupt us!" she said. "No," Maria said, a bit too quickly. "I just- uhm wanted to know what assignments we have to do in Eng-" "Cut the crap, Maria!" Liz said getting irritated. Hearing Liz's tone of voice Max put two and two together - suspecting that Maria had called to check up on them. "You have been the number one person to push Max and I together!" Liz said, remembering last time when Maria had walked in on them "making out" in Michael's apartment. "I have never said that you should sleep together!" Maria said, with a twinge of hysterics in her voice. "You don't know what can happen! You're not the same species! We have already had this discuss-" "Yes Maria, we did have this discussion," Liz interrupted. "And I'm telling you the same thing as I did then. I'm going to be with Max and if we go to the next level-" "Have you?!" Maria cried.  
  
"No, Maria - you decided to check in just then - as usual!" "Ha, so you [i]were[/i] doing something - I hope you were not in the middle of having sex? Oh my God, you were - you were having sex, weren't you?!" "Calm down, Maria," Liz said, starting to get pissed. "You are not my mother - you are definitely not my father - and I will not defend myself in front of you for doing something that feels completely right! This is my life and I decide on my own what to do with it!" "But Liz..." "No, Maria," Liz said sternly, fed up with always having to defend her actions. She sighed loudly, searching for control over her feelings. "I really don't want to talk to you now, Maria." "Liz, have you told him about Kyle and the end of the world yet?" "No, Maria. I haven't...I just...I can't deal with that now." "You can't do anything with him if he don't knows the whole truth." "Maria, don't tell me what to do..." Liz was letting her anger rule her thinking, not realizing that Maria had made a significant point. "But Liz..." "No Maria," Liz said, tired. "We talk about this later, okay?" "Yeah, okay," Maria said slowly. What did Liz think she was doing? Had she gone freaking insane? "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." "Well, that doesn't say much, does it," Liz said, with a half smirk. "Oh, no Liz! I didn't mean it like that," Maria said quickly. "Sure you didn't," Liz said. Maria sighed. "Look Liz, think about it before you do anything. Don't let your feelings take over too much. I know that I said that you were suppose to do something for yourself for once..but there are limits you know-" "Yeah Maria, we talk about this later. Bye," Liz said. "Okay, bye," Maria said.  
  
Max watched Liz as she reached over him and hung up the receiver. "Are you okay?" he asked, searching her eyes. Liz shook her head. "It's just...I'm tired of always listening to logic and when I finally stop, everyone else is trying to do it instead! I makes me mad!" Max nodded his head. "I see what you mean! Michael thinks I'm getting too attached to you - that I can't focus on 'what's important' when I'm with you..." "Perhaps he's right," Liz said and smiled at him. "Yeah, probably. But it would be good to get his support once in a while!" "He supports you, Max. He's just confused himself. You all are. [i]We[/i] all are. You really don't have to be an alien to think that your life is screwed up. And Michael has always had difficulties in showing his feelings." "You're right," Max said distractedly, all of a sudden being transfixed by the way Liz's lips moved when she talked. Liz felt him getting distracted and chuckled softly. "What?" Max asked, looking up to meet her eyes. "Are you listening to me?" Liz asked, grinning from ear to ear. Max realized that he hadn't really been listening and smiled himself. "Not really," he said. "Well, you know what that calls for," Liz said, her eyes dancing.  
  
"What?" Max asked, watching her lick her lips seductively. "You seemingly needs to be punished...," Liz said in a slow, husky voice. "Uh huh," Max said very much focused on Liz now. Liz nodded, a smile grazing her features. Then she rose from his bed and stood up, slowly smoothening out her short skirt. Her bra had fallen on the floor and she now bent over to pick it up. She had her back to Max and when she bent over the skirt stretched against her behind. Next she pulled up slowly - feeling Max's hot gaze at her. Liz turned around and calmly said, "So, I guess I should head home now!" "She must be kidding me," Max thought. She stepped up to him, sitting on the edge of his bed, and brushed her lips over his. "I had a really great time, Max! See you tomorrow." Liz turned around but before she could take another step, Max's arm was around her waist pulling her into his lap. "Max, I really should be-" His lips silenced her. "Don't talk," he murmured his lips so close to hers that she could feel the vibration of his every word like a sparkle running through her body. "It ruins all the fun!"  
  
TBC...  
  
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Tell me what you think...  
  
Josephin xxx 


	6. Book 1 Chapter 7

Hey everyone!!!  
  
Daisy, Cheri and Patty!! Thank you so much for leaving feedback...it's what keeps me posting!!  
  
  
  
[b]Chapter 7[/b]  
  
Maria suspiciously followed Liz around the CrashDown with her eyes. There were something different about her friend. She had a certain glow about her. She had been difficult to contact all day. Either she was standing with a far away look in her eyes or she was cleaning something (not so dreamy) with a dreamy smile on her face. The only time she had come alive had been when she seconds before Max entered the restaurant (like she knew that he was coming, Maria had noticed) had turned towards the doors to see him enter. Maria narrowed her eyes when she saw Liz's whole face shine up with a glow that seemed to originate from her inside.  
  
Since Max had made his appearance in the restaurant, Liz and Max had not lost eye-contact for more than one minute apart. Maria caught Liz by the elbow when she returned to place her order.  
  
"You did something!" she accused.  
  
"That's none of your business," Liz said. "Okay, she's still angry with me," Maria thought.  
  
"I'm just worried about you, Liz!"  
  
"Don't! I'm okay. You know Max. He would never intentionally hurt me."  
  
"Keyword here; [i]intentionally[/i]. No, I don't think he would intentionally hurt you. But listen to me Liz. Fact one: Max didn't want to be with you in the beginning because he thought he was putting you in danger. He wanted to protect you from getting hurt - but you was hurt anyway. Fact two: When Max and you finally crossed that line and got together, he broke up with you before you even got started. Once again - because he was afraid he was going to hurt you. And, guess what? He hurt you even more because of it." Liz opened her mouth to protest but Maria put up a finger in front of Liz's face silencing her. "Fact three: You two got together again, but Max kissed Tess and he hurt you. You see a pattern here, Liz?" Before Liz had a chance to answer Maria continued.  
  
"Fact four: You found out that Max had a whole other destiny - with his alien bitch Tess. You left him - and you were both hurting. Fact five: Max went on Liz Parker-chase - wanting you back and when you were sort of given the green flag by Madame Vivian a Max from the future decides to drop in and announce to you that your love meant the end of the world in all its pomp and circumstance, something which you probably haven't told Max yet." Maria watched a guilty expression flash over Liz's face, "Fact six: You make Max believe that you slept with Kyle - hurting him tremendously. Fact seven-"  
  
"Is there a point to all this?" Liz asked, her good mood starting to disappear.  
  
"I'll get to it," Maria said. "As I was saying. Fact seven. You to get together again and this is where we are at the present. You two are once again completely lost in each other - perhaps now more than ever. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I'm afraid that you'll get hurt again. You are way into deep this time and I don't feel like picking up the pieces of your broken heart, when Max decides to do something else to 'protect' you!"  
  
Liz stepped up to Maria and enveloped her in a big hug. "Thank you," Liz whispered in Maria's ear. To say that Maria was surprised would be an understatement. She had expected Liz to give her the silence treatment, or even yell at her - but she had never for the world expected this. Liz pulled back and Maria could see that she had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Are you ok-" Maria started, afraid that in her efforts to proving her point to Liz had hurt her feelings.  
  
"Maria," Liz interrupted, ignoring Maria's question. "Thank you...for, you know, looking out for me. And you're actually right - we have hurt each other. A lot. I don't expect you to pick up the pieces of my broken heart. But for perhaps the first time in my life I'm following my heart. Grandma Claudia told me that - did I tell you that?" Maria shook her head. "I promised her to follow my heart. I have a feeling that it's a good advice...and my heart tells me that I should be with Max. I don't expect not to be hurt - Grandma told me that that's how you know he's your soulmate. 'If it's not complicated - then he's probably not your soulmate' she said."  
  
"And it sure is complicated," Maria said.  
  
"Maria," Liz said and took Maria's hand in both of hers. "I appreciate that you are looking out for me - and I don't want you to stop doing that - but you need to let me make my own decisions, make my own mistakes."  
  
"Right, gottcha," Maria said and brushed away a single tear that had slid down Liz's cheek. "And don't cry - you don't want to get me started."  
  
"Deal," Liz said and smiled.  
  
"So, what do you say about renting a real chick flick and stuffing ourselves full with unhealthy stuff," Maria said.  
  
"Oh, Max and I..."  
  
"Oh, come on Liz. We need this. I'm telling you. You will soon suffer testosterone overload if you don't watch out."  
  
"Okay, okay," Liz said, laughing.  
  
"Great, my place - sevenish?"  
  
"It's a date," Liz said.  
  
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Liz was feeling weird and it was not due to what had transpired between her and Max the other night. It was not even due to the fact that Max and she had crossed several levels the other night and she still hadn't told him the truth about Kyle. No, it was something different today - she was feeling jumpy - paranoid - like something was going to happen, soon. For about the hundredth time that day Liz made her way over to the booth where Max had spent most of his day already. She had a need to see him - or more correctly - to touch him. He followed her approach with his eyes. Liz sat down on his lap and gave him a peck on the cheek.  
  
"That's all?" Max murmured, burying his fingers in her soft long hair.  
  
"You want something else?" Liz asked.  
  
"Uh hu," Max said, using the hand buried in her hair to pull her face closer to his. Their lips locked and the surroundings were immediately forgotten.  
  
They were broken apart by someone clearing his throat and Max was shocked to see Mr. Parker standing there, staring them (or Max more precisely) down.  
  
"Oh, hi Dad," Liz said.  
  
"Hi Lizzie," Mr. Parker said. "Max."  
  
"Hi, Mr. Parker," Max said, his face now a crimson red.  
  
"Honey, I think you're on the clock - customers are waiting to order," Mr. Parker said, his voice dangerously calm.  
  
Liz looked around the CrashDown - finding no new customers. However, she got the message loud and clear.  
  
"Of course, Dad," she said, and slipped off Max's lap.  
  
It was about then that the door jingled - announcing a new customer. Kyle stepped in, with Tess by his side. Liz's emotions went skyrocket. She eyed Tess suspiciously. Tess was her normal (fake) self - laughing and joking with Kyle.  
  
"Hi Liz," Kyle greeted and seated himself across from Max. "Hi Max."  
  
"Hi Max," Tess said softly as she positioned herself next to Kyle. "Still flirting," Liz thought. Tess's eyes left Max and drifted to the girl standing next to him. A surge of jealousy floated through her. Liz was standing far too close to Max. Looking at them more closely they actually looked [i]very[/i] comfortable around each other.  
  
"Oh, hi Liz," Tess said, finally taking notice of her.  
  
"Hi, Tess," Liz answered, not missing the coldness Tess's voice was laced with.  
  
Through their connection, Max could feel the change in Liz's emotions. He resisted the need to look at her. He felt that it would be the wrong thing to do - under Tess's prying looks.  
  
"So, what are you up to?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Just hanging out," Max answered.  
  
"Can I get you guys anything," Liz asked.  
  
"Just a coke for me," Kyle said.  
  
"Cherry coke," Tess said.  
  
"I'll help you," Max said, stood up and followed Liz towards the counter. When they were out of earshot, Max slipped his hand inside of Liz's - hiding his actions for whoever might be looking (in other words; Tess) with his body.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
"I have had this feeling all day - that something is going to happen," Liz said, automatically feeling her desire awakening at Max's innocent touch. She got the sudden urge to attack him (even if they were in the middle of a restaurant with several people around - eating) and to rip off his clothes and make things to him that-  
  
"Liz?" Max asked, his face masked with concern.  
  
"Let's get out of here," Liz said.  
  
"But your father..." Max said.  
  
"He'll be fine," Liz said.  
  
"That's not exactly what I meant."  
  
"I know what you meant, now come here." She tugged on his hand and they went out into the employers only area. When the swinging doors closed behind them Liz practically jumped Max.  
  
Max could sense her desperation through the connection and wondered for a brief second what was wrong. But as Liz's tongue found its way inside his mouth, seeking out all its hidden corners, his desire for her took over. He could feel the possessiveness in her kisses, claiming him as hers and that possessiveness awoke something primal inside of him - a need to protect her against everything. While kissing him fiercely Liz pressed her body up against his, pushing him backwards in the process. Soon Max found himself with his back against the lockers. After last night their connection had grown stronger. When they were touching now they could somehow 'sense' the other's thoughts. The connection flared open and images assailed them. Images of their moments together, mixed with Liz's and Max's thoughts and feelings at the moment.  
  
Liz's feelings of despair slammed into him. Liz was scared, Max noted. Afraid of losing him, afraid of losing everything they had been able to build up during these few days. Then he started seeing images from her nightmares. Shocked of seeing himself do those things to her, he tried to pull away only to have Liz's grip tightened on him. He felt his own fear take a hold on him as he witnessed Liz being murdered and he could feel all of her feelings - he could feel her dying, slipping away from him. He cradled her head in his hands, wanting her closer to him to reassure himself that she was okay. He could taste her salty tears. She was whimpering in his mouth - slowly falling apart.  
  
Feeling completely powerless, Max pulled his lips away from hers and cradled her closely to his chest. She was crying openly now and Max could feel his own tears starting to pool in his eyes. Weak from their emotions going overload, they sank to the floor holding on to each other. Max was petrified that he was going to lose her. He had [i]felt[/i] Liz's nightmare and the whole atmosphere of Liz's nightmare was different from ordinary dreams. It felt like it was more than a dream, more like a warning.  
  
Max reached for her through their connection and started sending her reassuring images of people that loved her, that she loved, images of the two of them together, while he gently rocked her sobbing figure in his arms. After a while she started to calm down.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered in a thin voice. "I didn't mean to jump you, I just..."  
  
"You needed to," Max said gently, putting two fingers under her chin, forcing her to look up into his eyes.  
  
"I needed [i]you[/i]," Liz said.  
  
Max's heart ached. "God, I can't lose her - she's my whole world, my everything," he thought.  
  
"Don't apologize Liz," Max said softly. "I [i]want[/i] you to come to me when you feel like this. Whatever the problem is, we'll work it out together, okay?"  
  
Liz nodded.  
  
"Okay," Max repeated to himself with a sigh. "You have to be extra careful now, Liz!" Liz didn't even smile as Max's over-protective nature kicked in, the situation was far too serious for that.  
  
"I know," she said, her voice so thin that Max almost didn't hear her.  
  
Max gently started to kiss Liz's tears away, smothering her face with small kisses.  
  
"I guess we should get back out there, before your father decides he wants to punish me with some horrible method for taking his baby girl away from him," Max said, helping Liz up.  
  
"He would never do that." Liz smiled.  
  
"I really don't wanna find out either," Max said.  
  
  
  
TBC... 


	7. Book 1 Chapter 8

Hi there! * hides guiltily behind my chair * I know that I've been really bad at updating lately. Sorry!!! : ( But now I'm back, and I won't keeping you waiting as long for the next update - I promise.  
  
Thank you so much for the feedback;  
  
Patty Akashaa Cheri NATZ Keri carlson  
  
Your words means a lot to me : ) !!!  
  
Okay, without further ado... here's chapter 8!!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
The night was very dark. The darkness was so thick that the street lanterns' attempts to light the dark streets failed, instead casting impenetrable shadows along the menacing buildings. The night was very cold. The air was chilly and the wind that otherwise was too shy to show its power howled. There was no living sounds. The streets of Roswell were dark and abandoned. The wind was full of whispers, foreboding danger. The wind had succeeded in making most people stay in doors this starless night.  
  
In a street corner stood a tall man - dark as the very corner he besieged. His face was emotionless and indifferent - expressionless. His eyes were icy cold.  
  
"Max...?"  
  
The man turned towards the insecure whisper.  
  
"No, Nasedo," he corrected.  
  
"Okay."  
  
All dressed in black, with golden curls sticking out under a dark gray cap on her head, the girl - let's call her Tess - slumped a little, relaxing her nerves.  
  
"Are you certain that she was going to be here tonight?" the man called Nasedo asked.  
  
"Yeah, they were talking about it today at the CrashDown. She'll be there," the girl said.  
  
"It's getting late - maybe she's gone home already," the dark-haired man with the face of another, commented without feeling the need to look at a watch.  
  
"They probably have lost track of time," the girl said.  
  
"Well, just the better for us, isn't it? Then the chance that she is alone and no one else is out is so much greater."  
  
---------------------------------------.  
  
Liz hands were trembling slightly as she buttoned up her jacket.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to have a sleep over?" Maria asked, unaware of the dread that had started to fill every space of Liz's petite body.  
  
Liz shook her head. "I need to get home - I have to get up early in the morning. I'll be fine..." Liz's voice trailed off.  
  
"Okay, babe. Here, you can burrow my cap - it is freezing outside!"  
  
"Thanks Maria." Liz smiled. She opened the door and the cold air hit her face.  
  
-----------------------------------------------.  
  
The two watchers could see the door to the house they were watching open.  
  
"See, I told you," the girl said with a triumphant smile that was lost in the darkness. However, as the person - who for a second appeared in the doorway - disappeared inside again, a loud frustrated sigh was emitted from the blonde girl.  
  
----------------------------------------------.  
  
"Oh wait!" Liz said and turned away from the darkness and closed the door again - to prevent the coldness from penetrating the warm house. "I guess I should call Dad, and he can meet me halfway!"  
  
"Good idea. I know that I would feel much better then," Maria said.  
  
Liz stepped past Maria and grabbed the receiver. After dialing the number, she hoped that her Dad wouldn't be asleep yet. She glanced at the kitchen clock. It was half past eleven. A click was heard at the other end of the line, announcing that someone had picked up.  
  
"Hello?" Liz had never been so happy to hear her father's voice.  
  
"Hi Dad. It's me. What are you up to?"  
  
"Waiting for you," Mr. Parker answered and Liz could hear the warm smile in his voice.  
  
"Can you meet me - it's really cold and dark. And-and I just would feel better if you did."  
  
"Of course, pumpkin. I was actually thinking about it myself - I'm not so happy about you being out this late. I start walking now."  
  
"Thanks Dad! See you in a few."  
  
She hung up the phone and felt that some of the dread that had positioned itself like a knot in the middle of her stomach, lessened some in size.  
  
"Is he meeting you?" Maria asked.  
  
Liz nodded and pulled the jacket closer around her body - already anticipating the cold.  
  
Maria pulled her in a hug. Liz felt like crying and she didn't even now why.  
  
"Bye, girlfriend. See you tomorrow!"  
  
Liz nodded, not even trying to speak, afraid that her voice was not strong enough.  
  
She opened the door and gazed out into the dark night. With a "be careful, chica" Maria closed the door behind Liz and Liz was alone.  
  
----------------------------------------.  
  
"There she is," the man said and smiled. Fortunately for the girl called Tess the night was so dark that she couldn't see that smile. That smile spoke volumes of the malicious nature of the man.  
  
"You wait here, and only show your face in case something goes wrong." Without waiting for her reply, the man also known as Nasedo stepped out of the street corner and purposefully strode towards the petite brown-haired girl, which with small but fast steps hurried down the street. In the night the sad cry of an owl could be heard. The only sound from an animal in the whole night.  
  
-----------------------------------------.  
  
Liz's throat constricted, making it harder to breathe. "Oh, no - this isn't be happening!" she thought. "It was only a dream, it was only a dream!" But the footsteps echoing behind her told her a different story. She was being followed.  
  
-----------------------------------------.  
  
The man quickened his pace. She sure was quick for being so small. He dived into one of the alleys - planning to intercept her path. She came around a corner and having her head turned, her eyes fixed on something over her shoulder, she didn't see him before she slammed into him.  
  
In the soft light from the lantern above them, Nasedo saw a brief flash of recognition in her dark eyes. That puzzled him. For some reason he suspected that she already knew that he wasn't who he was pretending to be.  
  
"Max," Liz said. Her voice was emotionless - it came out as if she merely stated a fact.  
  
"Liz, what are you doing here? It could be dangerous to be out so late," Nasedo said with the same voice as Max.  
  
Liz thought quickly. Should she give him the same response as in her dream or should she say something else, and with that action perhaps change the chain of events that were so similar to that of her nightmare?  
  
"I went out for some fresh air," Liz said.  
  
"I can walk with you. You shouldn't walk alone."  
  
Liz's heart sank like a stone in her chest. It suddenly dawned on her that she was working against destiny - a seemingly well-worked out plan that was going to get its way in one way or the other.  
  
"No really, Max, I'm fine!" Liz said, her voice mechanical and detached as she repeated the same words she knew so well from her dream scenario.  
  
"Really Liz, it's no problem."  
  
The chilliness slammed into her as he positioned his arm around her waist. Even though her emotions in her dream world had felt frightening real, what she felt then was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. She was on the verge of panic. The difference was that this was reality and she knew how it was all going to end.  
  
"Please, something has to be different in reality. Let it not be a re-play of my dream," Liz thought, knowing that this far it has been just that. "Was I just supposed to see the future and not be able to do anything about it?! Of course, you could have stayed at Maria's when you sensed that something was wrong. You could even have decided to not go to Maria's - not tonight! My God, Liz!" She was getting pissed at herself. "There were signs everywhere - screaming at you to be extremely cautious and stay at home. Not to leave the house today!"  
  
Liz tried to force her feelings of panic to the back of her head. She had to stay focused - she could not let herself be ruled by her emotions, not when it was a matter of life or death. She could probably try to stall him until her Dad arrived, but wouldn't that make him suspicious? She put on her best 'oh-stupid-me' expression and exclaimed: "Oh, I'm so clumsy! I forgot my history assignment at Maria's house..."  
  
"I thought you just went for a walk," Nasedo said smiling smugly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah...I was. I was at Maria's house earlier today. Anyway, I need to go back and get it. You can go home, Max - I'll be fine. I'll call Dad and he will pick me up."  
  
She was closer to Maria's house than her own. It would be easier to go to her.  
  
Nasedo narrowed his eyes. "Does she know?" he thought. He eyed her suspiciously. Although, she seemed genuinely agitated to have forgotten her homework.  
  
"I'll follow you there," Nasedo said.  
  
"No...thank you, Max, but I'll be fine. Go home - you shouldn't be out at this time either. You don't want to worry Isabel, right?"  
  
Nasedo scanned his memory for a typical Max behavior that wouldn't make her suspicious. He didn't want her to suspect anything too soon, it would make it harder to go trough with the task.  
  
"Liz. I'm worried about you. You know that being with me is putting your in danger and I feel responsible for keeping you safe. You don't know who is watching us. There could be skins left or..or the FBI. Let me help you home!"  
  
Liz blinked to clear her mind. "Wow, that was a pretty good imitation of Max," she thought. He almost convinced her. Almost. Liz's advantage was that she and Max had a connection and the man in front of her didn't know about it. Even if Max's soul would to leave his physical body and enter another body, Liz would probably still recognize him. She would know him anywhere.  
  
"I told you before, Max, and I'm telling you again. I need to feel that I can take care of myself! I want to be independent. I'm not a child and I don't like being treated like one!" Liz said, clearly seeing the absurdity of the situation as she was calmly discussing her feelings with an evil shapeshifter who was impersonating her alien boyfriend in the middle of a dark abandoned street in the middle of the night.  
  
"I just want you to be safe," the man said. "I'm coming with you!"  
  
Liz looked up and saw the coldness in his eyes. "Okay, it's no better solution to piss him off," she thought. "I'll have to work something out before we arrive at Maria's, because he is certainly not going to follow me to Maria's door step and then leave."  
  
Liz's mind had gone into planning mode. She had detached all her feelings and were rationally going through all the facts, logically and systematically trying to work out the best solutions.  
  
"Okay," Liz agreed, her voice almost a mere whisper. The mouth of the man in front of her produced a very un-Max smile which reminded Liz of the condescending 'smile' Nasedo had given her when he had kidnapped her and she had, at the carnival, told him about how much Max and her meant to each other. That smile sent warning bells to go off inside her head. She felt the sudden urge to give into her fears and give into the temptation of hiding in the darkness that threatened to devour her at any moment. But she couldn't do that. She would not make it easier for him to kill her!  
  
They had started walking down the street - towards Maria and away from the CrashDown. Something caught Liz's attention out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly, trying her best not to make her movement too conspicuous.  
  
Hidden in the shadows, created by a street lantern, a short person was standing dressed all in black. However, her blonde curls betrayed her. It was Tess. Liz had known even before she had seen Tess that she had the odds against her. It would be very difficult to escape the 'person' walking beside her, but escaping him and Tess. Tess could make her see things, make her believe things that wasn't really there. Tess could trick her into going into the wrong direction - even making her step out in front of a car.  
  
Liz seriously considered if she should make a run for it - even though she knew in her heart that outrunning him hadn't worked in her nightmare. Liz searched her memory, going over her nightmare in her mind, trying to find Tess in it. She needed to know which part Tess had played in her nightmare. But she couldn't find her. That made her terrified. She didn't know what Tess was going to do - Liz hated being in the dark. She focused inwardly and started to gather her energy. She would make one last effort. She would put everything on one last card. Focusing on his face, his love for her, his kisses, his smiles and everything that was him she reached out through their connection and reached for Max. She had to warn him.  
  
--------------------------------------------.  
  
Max laid in his bed - sleeping. However, his sleep was troubled by blurry faces, hissed whispers and a girl. Her face was a blur but he would recognize her anywhere. She was in trouble and she was calling for him. With a jerk he was awake. He sat up in his bed. All he could think about was Liz. Something was wrong - something was very wrong. Then he heard her voice, loud and clear in his head.  
  
"Max, can you hear me?"  
  
Max didn't even waste time on analyzing how Liz could talk to him in his head. He was too concerned about her to even reconsider it.  
  
"Liz, what's happening? What's wrong?"  
  
"Max, you have to stay calm. I need you to get Michael and Isabel and go to Maria's. Look for me on the way."  
  
"Liz, tell me what's wrong!" He was being freaked out by the combination of her calm voice, and at the same time feeling her emotions running amok through the connection.  
  
"Max, listen. I'm in danger. You have to hur..I don't...think it's Nasedo."  
  
"Liz, I'm losing you." Liz's voice was drifting in and out of the connection - like a bad phone line. The connection was draining Liz of her energy. She wasn't used to using any 'powers' and it took a lot from her. Max felt a tug on his energy and realized that Liz was pulling energy from him. Max focused on feeding the connection with energy.  
  
"Max! Max! Can you hear me?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"I can't hold on any longer. I love you." As soon as she said that Max could feel her presence diminishing back to the usual fluttering at the back of his mind.  
  
"Liz, Liz!" Max yelled out into the air.  
  
----------------------------------------------.  
  
Isabel snapped out of her dream world by the sound of Max's voice.  
  
She looked at her bedside clock and found it to be twelve o'clock. With a sigh, she rose from the bed and walked out of her room, into her brother's.  
  
Max was wide awake - running around the room with one leg in a pair of pants, while he was evidently searching after something. If Isabel's hadn't seen the expression of complete anxiety on Max's face, she would have found the sight of her brother quite comical.  
  
"Max, what's wrong?", she asked, her voice still holding evidence of sleep.  
  
Max looked up, startled. He hadn't noticed her standing there.  
  
"I can't find my shirt," Max said.  
  
"What's wrong?" Isabel asked again, getting more and more agitated by her brother's odd behavior by the minute.  
  
"I need to get to Liz," Max said.  
  
"Max, it's in the middle of the night. Can't it wait until tomorrow," Isabel sighed and rubbed her sleep-induced eyes.  
  
"NO!" Max practically yelled.  
  
His tone almost gave her a jump. Her brother - her always so-in-control, calm brother - was almost hysterical.  
  
"Max, calm down and tell me what's happening!" Isabel said.  
  
Max found his shirt and pulled it over his head.  
  
"Liz is in danger," he said and pulled the other leg into the pants. Zipping up as he straightened up he met Isabel's eyes for the first time since she had entered his room. Isabel shrank back a little from the look in his eyes. His eyes were masked with something she didn't quite recognize. It was a primal look, an animalistic look. That look reminded Isabel of a lioness protecting her cubs against danger.  
  
Max took some deep breaths, obviously straining to regain control. Isabel could see how some of the old Max came through - Max, the leader.  
  
"Isabel, listen to me. I need you to get Michael and head for Maria's. Keep an outlook for me on the way...or Liz...if I don't find her first." With those final words Max finished tying his shoes and brushed past Isabel.  
  
"Max, what's ha-."  
  
"Just do it!" Max's answered tightly. Isabel stood at the top of the stairs and watched Max's back disappear down the stairs in a rush.  
  
--------------------------------------------.  
  
Liz was suddenly pulled into a dark alley, her mind filling with a weird sense of déja vu.  
  
"Max, what are you doing?" Liz asked, noticing how her voice trembled. She dreaded the answer.  
  
"I just got the sudden urge to kiss you," the person with the Max mask replied.  
  
Liz felt a cold hand grip around her heart - feeding her body with a coldness and numbness.  
  
"Max," she whispered. "I really need to get to Maria and then get home. It's really late."  
  
Her enemy leaned closer to her. She could feel his warm breath against her cold face.  
  
"What was that? I didn't hear you," he said, the hissing sound of his voice reminding her of vicious snake.  
  
As Liz's hands automatically pushed him away from her, she felt as if she left her body - becoming an observer from the outside. She observed how his control snapped and he pressed his lips onto hers. She didn't feel his lips, she didn't pay any attention to the familiar flashes in black and white displaying death and evil. All she was aware of was the numbness that was filling every cavern of her body, her every limb and cell. She watched as her physical body struggled to free itself, but he was stronger and pushed her to the ground. His hands ripped her blouse open, revealing her bra and pale stomach. As she continued to struggle, his hand flew over her left cheek leaving a red burning mark. Liz didn't feel that either. She had hidden herself in a place in her mind where she couldn't feel anything, only observe. In that place was a calmness that calmed her.  
  
Her physical body continued its struggle and threw up a knee into his crotch. He lifted away from her, as he swore over the human body and its physical limitations and weaknesses. Liz's mind slammed back into place as she saw her chance of escape. She got up on her legs and started to run. A few feet away, she could see Tess stepping out from a street corner running towards her. Liz changed her direction - going into a dark alley. She didn't see the stone protruding from the ground, before it was too late and she couldn't stop her legs from moving. She fell over, scraping her hands and her bare stomach against the harsh ground. As her head hit the ground images of her life flashed before her eyes. She knew this was the end - it was here that everything ended in her dream.  
  
Through her labored breathing she could hear his steps coming closer.  
  
"You bitch," he hissed and his hand was on the small of her back. It was even worse than in the dream. From his hand radiated heat of hundreds of degrees, setting her inside on fire. She could feel how her interiors were practically melting. The numbness in her took over and she welcomed the painless darkness.  
  
TBC... 


	8. Book 1 Chapter 9

Hey guys!  
  
Sorry for taking so long to update the story, but I'm having troubles getting into this site... : (  
  
Just to make up for it - I'm posting TWO chapters today. How does that sound? : )  
Firstly, thank yous!!  
  
Patty - Thank you so much for your feedback!! It really means the world to me!!  
  
AngelFlyer - Thank you, and welcome to this fic!!  
  
Cheri - Thank you so much for the feedback!!  
  
T - Thank you, and welcome to this fic!!  
Okay, without further ado... here's the next two chapters...  
  
.  
  
[b]Chapter 9[/b]  
  
Max fervently searched the streets. Where the hell was she? He was going out of his mind with worry. He could only feel calmness from her through the connection, and that didn't calm him down - it made him even more anxious to get to Liz. Then he felt the heat in his back and the jeep swayed. The pain was excruciating and he knew it came from Liz.  
  
"Noooo!" he breathed and tried to make the jeep go faster.  
  
---------------------------------.  
  
Tess watched Nasedo with a paralyzed look on her face. He was only going to rape her! What was he doing?! Even though she hated the girl, Liz was someone she knew and she couldn't stand her agonizing and animalistic cries of pain. When Liz's cries diminished before finally coming to an end, Tess was awoken from her reveries.  
  
"Nasedo, stop!!" she yelled. "What are you doing?!"  
  
Nasedo's head jerked up at the sound of her voice. He looked down at the girl on the ground. She was lying on her stomach and there was a handprint - his handprint - burnt through her blouse and burnt into her skin. When he realized that he had let his control slip he slammed his fist into the ground.  
  
"Damn!" he cried.  
  
They both turned their head towards the road at the sound of a car. Tess peeked around the corner and saw a very familiar jeep approaching.  
  
"Nasedo, Max is coming!" Tess hissed, fear seizing her. Everything had started to fall apart. This plan had gone wrong in all ways possibly. Nasedo thought quickly. The girl's pulse was life-threatening weak, but she was still alive. He could use her in some way if Max wasn't willing to voluntarily get them to their home planet.  
  
"Tess! You have to project an image to Max that Liz is dead," Nasedo ordered.  
  
"But I can't get into his mind!" Tess said.  
  
"Well, it's either that or we will never get home! Anyway, he is probably going out of his mind with worry, if he is looking for her - as I suspect he is. I would guess he's more susceptible to mind warp now - he is weakened by his emotions!"  
  
Tess nodded meekly, closed her eyes and focused on Max.  
  
----------------------------------------.  
  
"Oh no, don't let that be her," Max thought when he saw a small figure lying in a dark alley, even though he knew that it must be her since he hadn't felt her since the excruciating pain had come to an end a few minutes ago. The jeep came to a screeching halt. He didn't know how he got to her but suddenly he was on his knees beside her still figure. His eyes blurred with tears, he frantically searched after a pulse, his hands becoming bloody in the process. The blood was seeping out of a large cut in her back. He turned her around, barely noticing her open blouse. He slowly pulled her into his lap, as the truth hit him in the face.  
  
"NOOOOOOO!!" his agonized cry echoed in the dark.  
  
---------------------------------------------.  
  
It was in that position Michael and Isabel found him ten minutes later. Max was clutching Liz to his chest, rocking them back and forth. His hands and shirt were smeared with her blood and tears were slowly sliding down his cheeks.  
  
"Oh my god," Isabel gasped.  
  
Michael took Isabel's hand and they walked towards Max.  
  
"Max...Maxwell...," Michael said, but got no response.  
  
"Oh my god, Michael. Is she...is she?" Isabel sobbed.  
  
Michael looked Liz over. Her lips were blue, her hands and face deadly pale. Her clothes were dirty and tore, her hair was tousled and there seemed to be blood in it. On the ground beside Max was a dark pool of blood. "Oh, my god... It looks like she was raped," Michael thought feeling nauseous. Michael could feel Isabel sliding to the ground beside him - her crying the only sound in the cold starless night. Michael turned around and vomited - emptying his stomach of its content.  
  
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[i]In a motel somewhere between Roswell and Santa Fe  
  
One week later[/i]  
  
Tess sank down in the worn-out arm-chair with a loud thud. She was exhausted. It had been the worst week of her life. Her energy level had been so low, she had several times been on the verge of passing out. It had been straining, to say the least, to trick everyone in Roswell that Liz Parker was dead. She had thought that it would have been difficult to get Max to believe it, but it had actually been quite easy. Max had been so worried that Liz was dead, that it was easy to push him into actually seeing it and believing it. The difficult part was to make several people simultaneously to believe that they were looking at the dead body of Liz Parker. She was nearly always projecting an image of something to someone. She had to follow her imaginative Liz around. It had been some relief when she had been put in a coffin - people didn't look at her so much then. Today had been her funeral - and it had almost been the final straw to Tess. She had almost ruined a whole week hard work today. Her energy was almost completely gone already and then she had to make a whole church full of people believe that Liz was lying dead in the open coffin, when the coffin in reality was completely empty.  
  
The only positive thing to come out of all this was that she would be able to be a comfort to Max, now that Liz was out of the way. Tess hadn't really had the energy or opportunity to 'comfort' Max before the funeral because she had to fake the whole Liz-Parker's-death scenario. Her eyes drifted purposeless around the cheesy motel she found herself sitting in. Her eyes came to rest at the immobile figure in the bed. She came to think about how devastated Max was. Even though she was the one to be around him and comfort him now, it still angered her that Max still hung on to Liz. The little Tess had seen of Max during the week, she had only met his body. Max Evans had not been there. Maria had said something about that Max had died the day Liz did.  
  
"Well, I'm going to see to it that Max lets go of Liz," Tess murmured. "She was only a human and he will soon see straight again when the spell Liz Parker had over him breaks. And then he will appreciate to have a female shoulder to cry out on - with other words - mine."  
  
Neither Tess nor Nasedo had the power of healing and Liz had been pretty bad off the first days. They had (much to Tess's annoyance) taken care of her, however in the human way. Unfortunately, most of her injuries were internal. Nasedo constantly fed her with his energy by connecting with her, to keep her breathing. She had been in a state of coma the whole time and Tess was surprised that she actually had survived this long. Even though Nasedo kept insisting that they needed her, Tess could not really see why. Even in an unconscious state, Liz Parker was affecting Tess's life and causing her trouble.  
  
Tess closed her eyes and drew some deep breaths, fighting the unconsciousness from drowning her - like it had done so many times during the week.  
  
"So, you're back," she heard Nasedo's voice state.  
  
With her eyes still closed, Tess murmured, "Tell me again why I'm going through this hell!"  
  
"Don't be stupid! It's our only way to get home. Max has the royal seal and he is the only one who can get the Granolith working," Nasedo hissed through his teeth.  
  
"Wow, you're in a good mood," Tess said and opened her eyes.  
  
"That bitch has been nagging me all day," Nasedo said, waving his hand into the direction of the unconscious Liz.  
  
"What do you mean?" Tess asked and narrowed her eyes. Had Liz been conscious?  
  
"She constantly stops breathing and I have fed her tons of my energy," Nasedo said and headed towards the small kitchen.  
  
"Oh," Tess said, relaxing a bit. "Why don't you just kill her?"  
  
Even though they weren't in the same room anymore, Tess could clearly hear Nasedo gritting his teeth and letting out a loud sigh.  
  
"She's our insurance. If Max decides that he rather would grieve instead of getting us home, we make him an offer. We trade Liz to him if he promises to follow with us home! And if I have learned anything at all about Max and Liz's so called relationship, it is that Max would give up his whole life here on Earth, with her, if that would insure Liz's safety."  
  
"He will soon get over her. She is not that important to him," Tess said with a voice mixed with sullenness and jealousy.  
  
Nasedo came back into the bedroom.  
  
"You really are stupid, aren't you!" he said. "You can flutter your eyelashes at him - hell, you can even flash him - but he will never think anything remotely close of you that he felt about her."  
  
Tess slumped back in the arm-chair, her lips formed in a surly pout, resembling a spoiled kid that hadn't gotten her way. "You'll see," she thought. "I will make Max desire me more than he could ever desire that mouse. And if I have to kill her to convince you, well..."  
  
--------------------------------------------.  
  
[i]Roswell, the Evans' resident[/i]  
  
In the evening of the day of Liz Parker's funeral  
  
"Isabel. Can you get Max and tell him that dinner's ready," Mrs. Evans said.  
  
The air in the Evans' resident was heavy. The funeral of Liz Parker earlier that day had put an end to the existence of Liz in Roswell and on this Earth. But to some people, she would never disappear. Isabel slowly lifted her feet up the stairs towards Max's room. The police had declared that Liz had been raped and then murdered. Isabel couldn't look Max into his eyes anymore. It was no use - her brother wasn't there anymore. His otherwise so soulful eyes were empty - a complete devoid of emotions. Isabel stopped outside his closed door. Not a sound was heard from inside. She lightly knocked on the door, and without waiting for a reply (because she knew she wouldn't get one) she opened the door slightly and peeked inside.  
  
Max's body was lying on his back in his bed. There was no light on in his room and as the sun had already begun its descent outside his window, the room was slowly growing darker. His eyes were fixed on a point in the ceiling, but his eyes were not seeing.  
  
"Max," Isabel said gently and opened the door more, stepping inside. "How are you?"  
  
He didn't answer, he didn't even flinch. He gave no indication whatsoever that he even was aware that she was in the room. Isabel went over to his bed and sat down on the edge beside him. She took one of his hands in hers. The warmth of his hand were in strong contrast to his cold eyes.  
  
"Max," Isabel whispered and before she knew it tears had started flowing down her cheeks as she looked into his eyes.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Max," she sobbed. "She was just so full of life - I talked with her earlier that day." A single tear started to run down Max's cheek - the first of many unshed tears to come. "Why did it happen to her? Why her? She always saw the good in people. She had such faith in people." Max's tears matched Isabel's now. "I miss her, Max....I miss you."  
  
Isabel laid down beside her brother, burying her head in his shirt seeking brotherly comfort.  
  
Max's control broke and he put his arms around his sister, relishing in the human touch. He cried openly now, clutching Isabel close to him. When Mrs. Evans a few minutes later came up the stairs and stepped into Max's room in the search of Max and Isabel she found them on Max's bed together, with their arms around each other - crying and seeking comfort in each other - grieving the loved girl they had both lost.  
  
---------------------------------------------------.  
  
[i]In a motel somewhere between Roswell and Santa Fe,  
  
Two weeks post Liz Parker's funeral[/i]  
  
Tess slammed the door close with a frustrated scream. Damn that Max Evans! Three weeks had passed since Liz had presumably died and he still hadn't forgotten about her. He didn't even want to meet Tess. Tess could not understand why, she was so kind and gentle towards him. But screw him! She was tired of sucking up to him, tired of not getting anything back in return. She could as well talk to a dead fish - maybe she would achieve more response then! Her eyes fell on Liz, lying in the same position as ever in the bed of the motel.  
  
"This is all your fault, bitch!" Tess screamed and attacked the helpless form on the bed, making Liz the target for her anger and frustration. Tess took a hold of Liz's shoulders and shook her violently.  
  
"Stop messing up my life!!!" Tess screamed, her hands moving to form a firm grip around Liz's throat with the purpose of squeezing the life out of her once and for all. As Liz's dry and parched lips were turning blue from the lack of oxygen, Tess was suddenly knocked backwards. Unexpectedly finding herself on the floor, she slowly rose to her feet to see what had happened. What she saw made her gasp.  
  
Liz was covered in a blue light. Tess had seen the same light radiating out of Max's hand to protect himself - but then it held the color of green. In some way, Liz was now producing a force shield around herself as a protection.  
  
"What the hell...," Tess murmured perplexed.  
  
.  
  
TBC... Next chapter's already up, guys!! 


	9. Book 1 Chapter 10

[b]Chapter 10[/b]  
  
[i]In a motel somewhere between Roswell and Santa Fe  
  
Six weeks post Liz Parker's funeral[/i]  
  
"What was that noise?" she wondered dimly. "Is someone knocking the door...? Can someone open the door?"  
  
She slipped down into the mist again. A few minutes later she reached the edges of consciousness again. The thudding sound was still there. She could also feel an ache in her back...in her stomach...in her legs... She ached everywhere. After some consulting, she realized that what she heard was a heartbeat - her heartbeat. Where was she? She focused on getting through the thick mist that covered her. She wanted to open her eyes, but it felt as if someone had taped her eyelids down. She relaxed a little, trying to gather her energy. She slowly opened her eyes. The light was so blinding that she had to blink her eyes repeatedly to get used to it. She could see that she was in a room of some kind but the contours remained blurry, causing her to have difficulties to orient herself.  
  
The soft material pressing up against her sore back told her that she was lying on a bed. She tried to remember where she was and why she was there. She lifted her head slightly and tried to look around the room. She could only lift her head for a few seconds - the motion caused her too much effort and pain. She closed her eyes as she let her head fall back on the pillow and gave into the darkness.  
  
During the following days, Liz continued to drift in and out of consciousness. She could consider herself lucky to have neither Tess nor Nasedo in the room as she came out of the unconsciousness. She was slowly growing stronger. Then one day, approximately five days after she first had came to, she opened her eyes and looked around. She was in what looked like a motel room. There was a large bed, the one she was lying in, and a red worn-out arm-chair across the room. There were three doors - one leading to what appeared to be the kitchen, one leading to a bathroom and the third was the front door. She sat up slowly and fought back the dizziness. She pulled the bed covers off her body and swinged her legs over the edge of the bed. She stopped for a while, gathering her energy, then she tried to stand up. Her legs were so weak. They hadn't been used in a long time and the deterioration of her muscles had already begun. The constant dull aching in her back didn't help the situation much either.  
  
She refused to give up, she continued the process of standing up, only to fall back on the bed again - her weak legs not being able to support her weight. However, her efforts soon paid off and she soon found herself standing, swaying on legs that felt as weak as boiled spaghetti. She felt something tug at her arm and as she looked at her arm she saw a needle embedded in the skin at the back of her right hand. Connected to the needle was a long thin tube with its other end in a plastic bag, hanging from a hook at the end of a metal stand. She realized that was what had supplied her with nourishment during her unconscious state. She took a grip of the stand (which was equipped with wheels) and began on shaking legs to walk around the room. Her first trip was over to the front door, which she found to be locked. She visited the toilet and took pleasure in washing her face with cold water. Feeling refreshed she went into the kitchen and started rummaging around the refrigerator after something to eat. She found some bottles of Tabasco sauce, two cans of cherry coke, some carrots, a loaf and a bottle with sour milk. She took the loaf and a can of cherry coke and sat down by the table.  
  
The tabled was covered in newspapers, and she pushed them away to make room. She opened the can and broke a piece of bread from the loaf. The bread was a bit dry, probably as old as everything else in the refrigerator. She relished the feeling of bread in her mouth. Even though it was old, it tasted like heaven to her. She had to put much effort into chewing the hard bread - her muscles not having been used in a while. Ten minutes later, she was full. She put the remaining loaf back into the refrigerator and threw the empty can in the trash can. For some (instinctive) reason, she figured it was best not to leave any traces. She made her way over to the bed and laid down. That's when she heard the key in the lock. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.  
  
She could hear two voices, a female and a male. They were fighting.  
  
"I'm getting fed up with this," the male said. "You have to work faster."  
  
"I try to, but I have only recently been able to even get through to him," the female answered, annoyance in her voice. "But I'm telling you. He will soon fall for me and then we don't need her anymore." She got a feeling that they were discussing her. "Why don't we kill her right away?"  
  
"We have to be sure. From what I'm seeing, you're not any closer to him than you were before her faked death."  
  
She got a feeling that it was her destiny that was being discussed.  
  
"Well, I'm not staying here," the female said. "The whole group is going out tonight, and I'm invited. It helps to be buddies with Kyle."  
  
She flinched at the sound of the name. It sounded familiar. Where had she heard that name before?  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," the male said. There was a sound as the front door was opened and then closed. She was alone with the man.  
  
"I'm getting so fed up with this fucking planet," the male murmured.  
  
-----------------------------------------------.  
  
During the following week, she memorized their routines. Which times they came back and at which times they left. She slowly regained her strength and she was only waiting for one of them to screw up. She got her chance one morning when the rain was pattering against the roof. After a short phone call, the man left in a hurry. She listened for the sound of the key turning in the lock, but it never came. He had forgotten to lock the door! She laid still for a few minutes - in case he would remember that he had forgotten to lock and come back. When nothing happened she rose from the bed and made her way over to the front door. She slightly opened it and peeked outside. The fresh cool wind, with the smell of rain hit her in the face. She drew a deep breath - breathing in the scent of freedom. Without further hesitation, she opened the door and stepped outside. It was pouring down, but that didn't matter to her. She was free.  
She had walked for hours in the rain. She was exhausted, cold and wet. But she knew that she couldn't stop. She had to keep going, or they would find her. She was afraid to walk along the road, in case her kidnappers decided to drive by. Instead, she had been forced to cross the rough vegetation out in the middle of the desert. She soon saw a petrol station in the horizon. When she came closer she saw a sign that read 'Motel - Bed and Breakfast'. She knew that she had not covered as large distance by foot as she could have done if she had hitch-hiked, and that she probably took a big risk stopping to sleep so close to her previous imprisonment. She was hightly aware of the fact that she was making herself an easy target. But it was getting dark and she was hungry, tired, wet and cold. She had to rest. She had found some money in the motel room which she had held hidden under the mattress. Every time the male put some money somewhere, she had taken some of it. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed that anything was missing.  
He was a tall middle aged man. He was not grazed with a handsome appearance, but he was not judged by his exterior by the people that knew him. He was a liked man. A simple man, with a heart of gold. He had his entire life held a dream about some day opening a restaurant. A bed and breakfast was the second best thing. He took much pride of his motel. He looked up from the newspaper he was reading as he heard the door jingle.  
  
There, in front of the door stood a small girl, completely drenched. She reminded him of the kittens his brother used to throw into the lake when they were young - just for the fun of it. Her clothes barely covered her. She had a skirt on, but it was torn in at least three places. What was left of what had earlier probably been a blouse was only rags. Her eyes appeared extremely large in her gaunt face. She slowly made her way over to the counter. The man couldn't help himself from staring.  
  
His staring made her very uncomfortable and she tried a small smile.  
  
"Hi, I would..." then she had to clear her throat - she had not used her voice in a long time, "I would like a room."  
  
"Ahh...yes, of course," the man stuttered. It was a miracle to him that the girl could still stand up straight. He took out a small notebook and a pencil from under the counter.  
  
"Can I have your name, dear?" he asked.  
  
"Of course," she smiled but then grew silent. The man watched as the smiled slipped of her face.  
  
"Miss?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"I-I..I can't remember," she answered. The man looked at the girl sympathetically. God only knew what she had been through.  
  
"It can wait until the morning," the man said reassuringly. The girl nodded but he noticed that her mind was somewhere else, perhaps searching the memory, which held her identity. "How long do you wish to stay?"  
  
The girl looked up. "Oh..only one night I guess," Liz said.  
  
"Okay then," the man said and scribbled something down in his note book before he turned towards a large board with a lot of hooks with keys hanging from them and took one of the keys. "Room 56. We serve breakfast at seven." He handed her the key and he noticed her hand trembling as she accepted the key.  
  
"Thanks," she said and smiled the first real smile since she had arrived. The smile did wonders to her face and the man thought that she must have been beautiful before her life somehow got messed up. "How much do I owe you?" she asked.  
  
"You can pay when you check out," he said.  
  
She nodded, turned around and walked up to the door. She opened the door to walk out, shivering as the cold, moist air hit her.  
  
"Miss, wait!" The man cried, and left his place behind the counter stepping up beside her. "Here, take my umbrella."  
  
She looked up at the kind man and then down to his hand, which held a blue umbrella.  
  
"Thank you," she said softly.  
  
The man merely nodded his head with a smile. The girl left the reception, put up the umbrella and headed for the house on the other side of the parking lot which housed the rooms.  
  
----------------------------------------------------.  
  
She was there the following day at seven o'clock sharp.  
  
"Good morning," the man greeted her.  
  
"Good morning," she smiled. The man noticed that she looked much better today. The dark circles under her eyes were not as evident any longer and her hair was washed and combed. However, she still wore the same tags and he realized that she probably didn't own any more than what she had worn yesterday.  
  
"Let me show you to the dining area," the man said and led the way.  
  
The dining area was large and bright, with large windows letting in the light of the morning sun. The smell of newly baked bread reached her and her stomach rumbled. A little embarrassed she lowered her gaze to the floor.  
  
"Hungry, huh?" the man asked with a smile. The girl looked up and met his gaze and as she nodded and held his gaze, he could see a piece of the strong girl she had once been.  
  
"Then you've come to the right place," the man said.  
  
In the middle of the dining area a part of the floor was occupied by a large table. The surface of the table was covered by plates filled with new baked loafs and buns, butter, cheese, jam, peanut butter, fresh fruit, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and pots of tea and coffee - yes, you name it and it certainly was on that table! An old woman, about seventy years old walked in, carrying a plate of crackers.  
  
"This is my mother," the man said to the girl.  
  
"Hi sweety," the woman said. "I'm Sarah. You sure look hungry, why don't you serve yourself and make yourself comfortable."  
  
The girl didn't see the look that passed between the elderly woman and her son. The man had discussed the girl with his mother the other night. The discussion had concerned if they ought to call the police. There was a large possibility that she was yet another runaway and that she had parents waiting for her somewhere, waiting for her to come home and going out of their minds with worry. However, it seemed kind of weird that she had decided to run away without any change of clothes. And why did she look like she had been in an accident? The thing that had puzzled both Sarah and her son the most was that the girl hadn't remembered her name. Sure, she could have been faking it - but hadn't it been more inconspicuous to come up with fake name?  
  
The girl grabbed a plate and started to fill it with food. The smell of food made her mouth water and she could barely wait to put her teeth into thatt bread. Her hands were quick, the movements of a starving woman, as she piled this and that on her plate. She took the plate and sought out a place by the windows. She slowly sat down, her back still aching. Yesterday, when she was about to take a shower, she had found her whole back and stomach from underneath her breast to her waist muffled up in bandage. When she unwound it from her body, and was about to step into the shower, her eyes caught the reflection of her back in the mirror. Her back looked scorched. Stepping closer to the mirror, she was surprised to see that in the middle of the semi-healed burns she thought she saw the contours of a handprint. The much longed shower was not as a nice experience as she had wanted it to be. She was forced to use humid water - almost cold - to lessen the stinging in the flesh of her burnt back.  
  
As she ate, her thoughts once again floated back to the fact that she couldn't remember who she was or what had happened to her. She had no memory at all. She could not recall any family members, or any names. She didn't even recognize the girl that looked back at her in the mirror. Although it held some sense of familiarity. Her small stomach was quickly filled and she regretted that she hadn't had the opportunity to taste it all.  
Sarah watched the girl out of the corner of her eye. She had eaten like someone was going to snatch the food away from her at any moment. However, she had not eaten much. Sarah stepped up to the girl, who was now staring out the window - lost in her own thoughts.  
  
"Can I get you anything else, dear?" Sarah asked. The girl jumped, startled by her voice. She looked up and met the woman's old and wise eyes.  
  
"No, thank you. It was wonderful and I'm completely full," she said.  
  
"You know," Sarah said and took the place beside the girl, "I have a daughter about your size. Would you be willing to accept some clothes?"  
  
She looked down at her clothes. She had winded herself up in the bandage again, more due to the fact that it was an effective warmth insulator than a comfortable article of clothing. Her other clothes, she must admit, was not a beautiful sight. She would gladly accept the old woman's offer, but she didn't like the thought of being a charity case.  
  
"That is very kind of you," she said. "But then you have to let me pay something for it."  
  
"No, of course not..," but stopped when she saw the look in that girl's eyes. Sarah realized that it was the only piece of honor that the girl had left - to be able to pay for herself - and Sarah wouldn't let her lose that too.  
  
"Sure," Sarah said. "Why don't yu follow me!"  
  
-------------------------------------------------.  
  
They were now standing in a bedroom on the second floor and clothes were spread over the bed and floor. Sarah was rummaging through her daughter's closet. During the course of an hour clothes had been held up in front of the girl only to be removed as the clothes had been labelled to be of the wrong size.  
  
"Elizabeth had a phase when she was slightly overweight and I guess these are those clothes..."  
  
But the girl wasn't listening anymore. Elizabeth. There was something strangely familiar with that name. Sarah looked up to see why she hadn't gotten any response. The small girl was staring out into the air, her thoughts miles away.  
  
"Are you all right, dear?" Sarah asked.  
"Elizabeth," the girl murmured. "Was that your daughter's name?"  
  
"Yes, that is my daughter's name," Sarah said proudly. "She is living in Arizona now - with two of the most beautiful chil..." Sarah's voice trailed off as she saw that the girl was once again lost to another world.  
  
"I think that was my name," the girl whispered, almost inaudible.  
  
"What was that, dear?" Sarah asked - her hearing not being what it once was.  
  
"I remember that name Elizabeth...and I think that it was my name," the girl repeated softly, with a sparkle in her eye that Sarah hadn't seen before.  
  
"Well, welcome back Elizabeth," Sarah said, smiling.  
  
The girl seemed to think about it for a moment and then she was smiling from ear to ear.  
  
"Yes, I think I was Elizabeth," she said.  
  
"Okay then, Elizabeth. If it's okay with you, I think you have to wear clothes that are slightly too large, since it seems as if I can't find anything better here."  
  
"Yes, of course," the girl now called Elizabeth said, without being able to stop smiling.  
  
"Here, take this," Sarah said and handed Elizabeth a bra and a pair of underwear. "See that door over there? That door leads to a bathroom - you can change there."  
  
"Okay, thanks," Elizabeth said, took the under garments and disappear in the bathroom.  
  
Elizabeth started to undress and slipped into the soft underwear. She took off her old bra and put on the new one. It smelled of detergent and was soft against her skin. She looked at herself in the mirror and then started to unwind the bandage.  
  
Sarah put down the shirt on the bed and once again let her eyes drift to the closed bathroom door. She wondered once again if everything was all right in there. The girl had been in there for a long time. Then she heard the retching. She left what she was doing and quickly walked up to the door.  
  
"Elizabeth, are you okay, dear?" she asked but got no reply.  
  
She opened the door slightly and peeked inside to find Elizabeth on the floor in front of the toilet. She was kneeling by the toilet, her head resting in her hands. But it wasn't the fact that she could see the ribs very clearly in Elizabeth's back or the protruding bones of her spine that showed clear signs of undernourishment that caught Sarah's attention. It was the scorched skin of her back that caught Sarah's eyes. The girl had been burnt, very badly. Putting her horror for the girl aside, Sarah walked up to the hunched girl and kneeled beside her.  
  
"Are you all right, Elizabeth?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine...just fine," Elizabeth said, unknowingly showing signs of the old Liz Parker and her slight inability to ask for help or talk about her feelings.  
  
"Let me help you up," Sarah said. "You could catch pneumonia sitting here on this cold floor." Automatically Sarah put an arm around Elizabeth's back to support her weight, but pulled it away just as quickly when she saw Elizabeth wince from the touch to her burnt back.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear," Sarah said regretfully, "I should have thought about that."  
  
"That's okay," Elizabeth said reassuringly, "You didn't know."  
  
Elizabeth put one of her hands in Sarah's and the other against the cool surface of the toilet and then pulled herself up. Elizabeth straightened up and winced a little as the inelastic skin of her back moved with the motion.  
  
As Elizabeth straightened up - dressed only in a pair of underwear and a bra - Sarah eyes fell on Elizabeth's stomach and she suddenly understood more why this girl was on her own.  
  
"How far along are you?" she asked Elizabeth.  
  
Elizabeth, puzzled, looked up in Sarah's face, meeting her eyes.  
  
"Excuse me?" she asked.  
  
"How far along are you?" Sarah repeated and pointed at Elizabeth's slightly protruding stomach. She couldn't be far along - but the girl's overall signs of malnutrition made the small rounding of her belly more prominent.  
  
Elizabeth looked down at her stomach and slowly ran her hands over it.  
  
"I'm pregnant?"  
.  
  
TBC.... 


	10. Book 1 Chapter 11

Hi all!  
  
I'm back to put you off the suspense :D  
  
Angelflyer - Thank you so much for the feedback!!! :D  
  
Urbanchick - Thank you so much!! :D  
  
ElfGirl - Hey! Sorry... no cliffs in this story ; ) But I can reveal that I'm not too found of Tess... : D Thank you!!  
  
.  
  
[b]Chapter 11[/b]  
[i]In a small apartment, somewhere in New Mexico  
  
Four months later, Tuesday- 1.07 p.m.[/i]  
  
She felt the pain ripple through her abdomen again. No, it was too soon! She leaned against the house wall and trying to catch her breath. When it had passed, she fished up her keys from her purse. With shaking hands, she placed the key in the lock, turned and opened. She stepped inside, put the keys on the table beside the door and walked towards the kitchen. She caught a look of herself in the mirror hanging on the wall. She had read all the baby books she could get her hands on, and they had informed her that all pregnancies were individual. However, nowhere did it say that she would look like this. Her body was merely skin and bones, with a protruding stomach in the center. Her big eyes were sunken in and her face was gaunt. Her hair had no vitality, no shine - it was thin and hung in wisps. She had a bruise at the side of her neck - she had obtained a lot of bruises during her pregnancy. It was as if her skin was super-sensitive.  
  
She was exhausted all the time. She worked from nine to five as a waitress and then she started her night shift as a waitress in a bar at eleven p.m. She had a constant headache and she could barely keep anything down, she threw up most of it. The only time she felt something close to happiness was when she felt the life inside of her kick or move around. Her baby gave her some hope in her lonely existence. She left the depressive reflection in the mirror and went into the kitchen to unpack the groceries bags. As she was putting two bottles of Tabasco, which she had attained a certain crave for (she had it on about everything) during her pregnancy, she felt the pain explode in her abdomen and she had to grab the edge of the table to stop herself from passing out.  
  
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[i]West Roswell High - Roswell, New Mexico  
  
Tuesday - 1.12 p.m.[/i]  
  
"Max, are you all right?" Isabel asked when Max once again rubbed his stomach.  
  
Max concentrated on the pain once again, trying to subdue it with his powers - but he was repeatedly unsuccessful in his efforts. For two months he had felt a dull ache in the small of his back. During the last 24 hours, the ache had intensified and now it was also accompanied by the pain in his abdomen.  
  
"I don't know," he answered his sister.  
  
"Maybe you're coming down with something," Alex, with his hand clasped in Isabel's, said.  
  
"We don't get sick," Max said.  
  
"Right," Kyle said, not the least surprised.  
  
They were all sitting under a tree in the school yard, eating their lunch. Max had positioned himself with his back leaning against the trunk of a tree. Maria was sitting between Michael's legs, leaning her weight against his chest. Isabel and Alex, with their fingers laced together, were sitting side by side both in Indian style. Kyle was sitting beside Tess - but there was some distance between them. The pairing was complete - except for the lonesome Max. Nevertheless, Liz's death had brought something positive to the group. They had realized how short life could be and they had forgotten about their differences and petty arguments. It hadn't taken long for Maria and Michael to pair up. Isabel and Alex moved a little slower but they were also considered an item nowadays. However, Kyle and Tess were not together, since Tess was still very consisted in her sucking up to Max - trying to get them together. It was obvious to everyone in the group, except to Tess, that Max would never get together with Tess.  
  
"I've been having this ache in my back for about two months now," Max said.  
  
"Maybe you're getting old," Michael said.  
  
"And now I have this pain in my stomach," Max continued, not taking any notice to Michael's comment.  
  
"Maybe you've eaten something weir-" Maria started to say but her voice quieted when Max with pain etched on his face doubled over.  
  
"Max!" Isabel said, dropped Alex's hand and moved to kneel beside her brother.  
  
During the following long forty seconds, Max focused on decreasing the pain with his powers. When the pain finally subsided he raised his head to be met by seven worried faces.  
  
"Maxwell, what happened?" Michael asked.  
  
"Liz..." Max whispered.  
  
"What?" Maria said, her voice hoarse from the emotions the name of her dead friend brought forward.  
  
Max looked Maria directly in the eyes.  
  
"Liz is alive." As the shaken group contemplated the meaning of Max's statement, no one saw the look of horror and hatred that passed over Tess's face.  
  
---------------------------------------------.  
  
[i]In a small apartment, somewhere in New Mexico - 1.20 p.m.[/i]  
  
Liz was pacing around the apartment, gathering everything she needed for the birth. Keeping her busy hindered her feelings of fear to take control over her. She was highly aware of the fact that a normal pregnancy lasted about nine months and according to her calculations she had only been pregnant about six. Something was wrong. If she gave birth now, the baby would certainly not survive.  
  
She knew every detail of the process of birth by heart - having memorized the baby books. She had never been to a maternal check up - there was a large risk that something was wrong with the baby. She also knew that she wasn't healthy, and she was petrified that the baby had suffered from that. She had decided not to give birth in a hospital - she was still afraid that her kidnappers were looking for her and it would be pretty easy to find her in a hospital. She would give birth here - in this apartment - alone.  
  
--------------------------------------------------.  
  
[i]West Roswell High - Roswell, New Mexico - 1.21 p.m. [/i]  
  
"Oh no, he is losing it," Michael thought as he hugged the crying Maria to him. "I will hurt him really badly if he is only making this up and upsetting Maria and Isabel over nothing."  
  
"Max, she's dead," Michael said, "You held her in your arms... I saw her, Isabel saw her - hell, even Liz's family, relatives and everybody at her funeral saw her. She's dead Max!"  
  
Max was now standing up, pacing back and forth.  
  
"Don't you think I know that Michael!" Max said, his voice irritated. He rubbed his forehead with one hand while the other hand rubbed the small of his back. "I don't understand it even more than you do. But I'm telling you, I can feel her. She's in pain - in so much pain."  
  
Tess was watching the group silently - still trying to get over the fact that Max seemingly had some sort of connection to that bitch.  
  
"Maybe you're only hoping so much that she's alive that you're imagining," Tess said.  
  
Max looked at her, and Tess shrank back under his stare. "Bad move, Tess," Isabel thought seeing Max's deathly glare, "don't mess with Max when it comes Liz."  
  
"I'm not imagining!" Max said, his voice hard. "She's still alive and she's in pain and I need to get to her."  
  
"And how do you plan that we do that?" Kyle asked.  
  
Max closed his eyes - his face masked with the sorrow that had become a second nature to him since Liz was taken from him - and sank down with his back leaning against the tree.  
  
"I don't know," he whispered, and everyone knew how much it at that moment was eating him up inside to know that Liz was alive and out there somewhere but knowing that he lacked the knowledge that would lead him to her.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------.  
  
[i]Santa Fe, New Mexico - 2.30 a.m. [/i]  
  
A middle aged couple, leaving a dinner party with some business associates, passed by a small, shabby apartment and stopped to look up at it in surprise and shock. Agonizing cries pierced through the otherwise quiet neighborhood.  
  
"Should we call someone?" the woman asked her husband.  
  
The man shook his head, believing it was yet another example of a relationship of physical abuse. The police would come, but wouldn't be able to press charges since the woman would be too terrified to tell what her partner had done.  
  
"Let's go home," he said. A few minutes after the couple had left the spot outside the apartment, the cry of a baby pierced through the night, announcing the birth of a little girl.  
  
------------------------------------.  
  
A small lamp on the bedside table beside the one-sized bed, illuminated the room in a warm light. The covers of the bed was in disarray, smeared with blood and maternal fluids. In the large bed laid a thin figure. Her skin was glittering with sweat and her breathing was still labored from what her body had been put through. In her arms lay a little bundle, wrapped up in a small blanket. The young mother looked in awe at the miracle in her arms. She admired the small hands, with the small fingers and the even smaller finger nails. Her fingers traced the soft chubby cheeks. She was perfect. The baby's crown was covered in black hair, which still had the oily texture of a new-born. One of the infant's soft cheeks was resting against the swell of her mother's breast. She was asleep, with the taste of maternal milk still lingering on her small red lips. She was a blessing - a blessing to her mother's lonesome existence on the run.  
  
-----------------------------------------.  
  
[i]Roswell, New Mexico - 2003 [/i]  
  
"Anything?" the young man asked.  
  
The man with the sheriff star on his chest shook his head, sympathy in his heart as the young man sank down onto the coach. He looked completely lost, like he had lost his home - all over again.  
  
"I'm sorry, Max. We can't find any trace of her. Either she's held in captivity or she doesn't want to be found."  
  
Max rubbed his forehead, trying to think of something else they could do, somewhere else they could search. They were missing something - they had to. She was still alive. Since the pain in his abdomen two years ago had reached a climax and then abruptly ended he could merely sense her presence like a small fluttering in the back of his head. But for some reason he couldn't reach her. It was as if it was an one-way connection. She was either blocking him or she wasn't aware that he was there. He realized that she had always been there, even when he thought she was dead. He had been too consumed with grief to notice.  
  
"Have you search all the hospitals?" Max asked.  
  
"Yes, we did it two years ago," Sheriff Valenti said and sighed tiredly.  
  
"But you have searched them after that too, right?" Max asked.  
  
"Max, it's no use. She can be in Russia for all we know."  
  
"No, she's close by." His voice was determined. He knew that everyone had given up. They had already one year ago started to question how much of what Max claimed he felt through a connection they didn't know anything about was true. Now they had just gone back to believing the common lie that Liz Parker was dead. Nowadays they felt sorry for Max because he couldn't let go off her. Max knew all that, but he also knew what his heart told him and the connection he had experienced with Liz had never been wrong before. She was alive - and he was going to find her. Even if he died searching!  
TBC... 


	11. Book 1 Chapter 12

Hi guys...  
  
I'm truly sorry for leaving you hanging for this long. RL has a tendency to get in the way...  
  
But Susan, Burgandy Lily, Akashaa, cheri and Amber... THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FEEDBACK!!! I will update two chapters this time all because of you :D  
  
.  
  
[b]Chapter 12[/b]  
  
[i]Santa Fe, New Mexico - 2005[/i]  
  
Elizabeth had tried everything in order to retrieve her memory. She had been put under hypnosis and she had been to a psychologist. From the psychologist she had received the advice that people who suffer from amnesia could get their memory back by coming into contact with objects that meant something to them in the life before the memory loss. However, Elizabeth did not come into contact with something that was even a reminiscent of her former life. She knew that she had been taken, or kidnapped, and had been hurt and suffered the amnesia as a cause of that. That much she had managed to figure out on her own.  
  
No doctor could explain why she was always sick. She had been to countless physicians and they had found nothing wrong with her - that is, nothing except her symptoms. However, the fact that Elizabeth's interior tissues were slightly burned could be a source to her symptoms. She suffered from headaches, resembling migraine attacks, every day. She had frequent nose bleedings. She could not keep much food down and was very thin as a cause of that. A month ago, her eyes had started to hurt and sting. She often suffered from dizziness and often had to sit down and take a breather. Finding out her past was her number one priority. Perhaps her medical history told of some genetic disease. She had a child to take care of - she did not want to leave her child in a world where someone was after her. Her daughter was no older than four years old, she could not be left alone.  
  
"Mommy, mommy, mommy!"  
  
Elizabeth turned around to find her daughter running towards her - with a drawing in her hand and excitement shining in her eyes. Those eyes. When Elizabeth had looked into those eyes for the first time, she had found them strangely familiar. She couldn't place them, but she instinctively knew that they were the eyes of her daughter's father.  
  
"Look what I paint," Emma exclaimed as she crawled up into her mother's lap.  
  
Elizabeth looked down at the drawing that Emma was clutching in her hand.  
  
"It's a pwincess," Emma explained.  
  
"That's really beautiful," Elizabeth said, smiling. But then her smile started to slip off her face as she saw the symbols that Emma had drawn around the princess. They resembled...cave paintings.  
  
"Honey, what's this?" she asked her daughter.  
  
"Dat I see in Daddy's dweam," her daughter answered seriously. Elizabeth flinched when Emma used the word 'daddy'. She hadn't even spoken to her daughter about daddies yet, how did she know the word?  
  
"What do you mean, sweety?" Elizabeth asked.  
  
Emma yawned.  
  
"I'm sleepy," Emma said.  
  
Elizabeth smiled and stood up, Emma bundled up in her arms. They walked into the bedroom and Emma was asleep before her head hit the pillow. Elizabeth sat still on the bed in the growing darkness for a long time, thinking about what her daughter had said - once again wondering who she was.  
[i]Roswell, New Mexico - 2005 [/i]  
  
Max was thrown out of his dream by a sound outside his window. He laid still and listened for a few minutes, giving Michael a chance to knock on the window before Max decided to go to attack. He could only hear the deafening silence. His alien DNA made his hearing a little better than that of the human. His eye-sight was even a little better at night than at day. He quietly eased up into sitting position, grabbing the baseball bat beside the bed in the movement. His feet softly touched the carpet on the floor and as gracefully as a cat, Max made his way across the cold floor. He unlocked and opened the window with his powers in order to make it as soundlessly as possible. As he climbed over the window-ledge he propped the bat up against the wall at the inside of his room -thinking that his alien powers were probably more effective as a weapon, but wanting to keep the bat close in case he had to defend himself and protect his secret at the same time.  
  
"Max Evans?" a low voice said from the shadows.  
  
Max jumped at the sound of the voice and then tensed up - all his senses directed into the direction of the voice.  
  
"Show yourself," Max demanded.  
  
The man, walking out from the shadows into the moonlight, recognized the voice of authority and knew instinctually that he had found him.  
  
"Don't be frightened, I'm not here to do any harm," the man said and stepped closer to Max.  
  
"Stay where you are," Max ordered.  
  
Max eyed the man suspiciously. He was tall - about an inch taller than Max. He was quite muscular built, but his stance was not at all intimidating. Max could sense that he meant no evil - that he was one of the 'good guys'.  
  
"Who are you?" Max asked.  
  
"Can we go some place more private and talk?" the man asked.  
  
"Not before you tell me who you are," Max demanded.  
  
The man held the human's gaze, the human body that carried the soul of his latent king.  
  
"I'm your protector," he answered.  
  
Max looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"Our protector is dead," Max said.  
  
"The man you believed to be your protector was a fraud. Let's go somewhere and I'll tell you more."  
  
Max hesitated for a few seconds and then came to the decision that he could at least her him out. He had a good feeling about him.  
  
"Okay, I know a place. But I want Michael and Isabel with me."  
  
"I would be surprised if you didn't," the man said.  
"So, what's all the fuss about, Maxwell? You have nothing better to do than to wake slee-"  
  
Michael stopped abruptly as he saw the stranger standing over at one of the walls of the UFO center. He automatically raised his right hand in front of him - prepared to fire if he needed to. There was a stranger standing inside the closed UFO center, at three o'clock in the morning and in the same room as this potential enemy, was his (in another life time) king standing and the king's sister and Michael knew that his role in this life was to protect them. But on the other hand he was also standing in the same room as Isabel and Max - the only family he had ever known, which he would protect with his life not only out of loyalty but mostly out of love.  
  
"And you most be Rath," the stranger said.  
  
"Who are you?" Michael said menacingly.  
  
"Michael, this man have something to tell us," Max said before the man had a chance to answer Michael.  
  
"Max, what are you thinking? He could be mindwarping you, just waiting for the right opportunity to kill you so that he can be a hero at home!" Michael said, getting pissed off at Max, who once again risked their lives.  
  
"Michael, let's hear him out," Max said and said a little lower when Michael came closer to him, "But be prepared to strike, okay?"  
  
Michael nodded and the teenage group fell silent, waiting for the stranger to speak. When he didn't, Max spoke up, "I believe you own us an explanation," he prompted.  
  
"As I told Zan-"  
  
"Max," Max corrected him.  
  
"Right. As I told Max I am your protector-"  
  
"What?!" Isabel and Michael cried out in unison.  
  
"You cannot be our protector, our protector's dead," Michael said.  
  
"The one who called himself your protector...what did you call him...Naeda?"  
  
"Nasedo," Max corrected.  
  
"Yes, anyway...he was a traitor." The man expected them to arguing against him, but they were all silent. He didn't know that it all made some sense to them. Nasedo had always been cruel. Even though he made them believe it was because he was completely alien and they were hybrids - they never felt comfortable with the easiness in which he killed anyone that stood in his way, just in order to protect the royal four.  
  
"So, you're our protector, huh?" Michael said. "If you are our protector, then where the hell have you been for the last...I don't know...sixteen years!"  
  
"I've been around," their protector said calmly.  
  
"You've been around...you've been around!!!" Michael yelled. "Where the hell were you when I was being transferred from foster 'situation' to foster 'situation', to end up with Hank. Where the hell were you when Hank beat the crap out of-"  
  
"Michael," Max said calmly, putting a hand on Michael's shoulder to calm him down.  
  
"No, Max! You don't understand. You had the perfect life - I was left out in the dirt-"  
  
"Michael, stop it!" Isabel said.  
  
Michael turned to look at her, with his mouth open, ready to tell Isabel one thing or two but he didn't say anything when he saw that Isabel was on the verge of crying. He had made her upset, and he slowly calmed himself down.  
  
"I'm sorry that I wasn't there, but we couldn't interfere too much. Firstly, it would have looked suspicious and secondly you had to become a part of the human society. To blend in with the humans was probably your best life insurance. If I had taken you under my wings, you would not have learned the human norms as well as you were able to do on the inside - being part of a human family."  
  
"Why did you let us believe that Nasedo was our protector?" Max asked. "He could've killed us!"  
  
"We had him under strict surveillance...."  
  
"So you have been watching us the whole time?" Isabel asked, feeling exposed.  
  
"Yes, in order to keep you safe. Although, we were pretty convinced that Nasedo would not hurt you. He would not win anything on killing you."  
  
"What did Nasedo want?" Max asked.  
  
"He wanted you Max."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"You're the only one who can work the Granolith." "Not the Granolith again," Max thought, groaning inwardly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Michael asked.  
  
"The Granolith is a means of transportation between Earth and Antar."  
  
"Antar, that's...home?" Michael asked.  
  
Their new protector nodded.  
  
"And Nasedo wanted the Granolith?" Max asked.  
  
"He wanted you to operate it so that he could get to Antar, with you. I guess he had made some deal with our enemies on Antar."  
  
"And the deal was to...take Max to Antar?" Isabel asked.  
  
"Yes, probably in time for his own public execution," the protector said.  
  
Isabel instinctively stepped closer to her brother and took his hand.  
  
"So you can understand why Nasedo didn't kill Max. He neither killed Michael nor Isabel since he wanted to earn Max's trust so that he would be easier to convince to take him home. Most likely, he kept away from your human friends for the same reason."  
  
"What do we call you?" Isabel asked.  
  
"Kira," the protector said and understood by Isabel's question that she had accepted him.  
  
"Why are you here now?" Michael asked.  
  
"It have come to our knowledge that an heir to the throne has been born," Kira said.  
  
"What does that mean?" Michael asked and as he and Isabel kept their eyes fixed on Kira for an explanation, they failed to notice how Max seemed to space out - thinking about a night spent with Liz five years ago.  
  
"An heir to Max has been born." All eyes turned to Max, who met their eyes with an expression they couldn't quite interpret. 


	12. Book 1 Chapter 13

[b]Chapter 13[/b]  
  
[i]Roswell, New Mexico - 2005[/i]  
  
"Did you sleep with her?" Michael asked Max, without even feeling the need to mention her name - everyone knew that Max hadn't been with anyone else, let alone thought about anyone else, since Liz had disappeared.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me, Max?" Isabel wondered.  
  
Max was looking at some point behind them, the reality of Kira's statement starting to sink in.  
  
"Didn't you even think of using protection?" Michael asked. "The always so cautious Max Evans didn't use protection?"  
  
"Max...?" Isabel tentatively asked and put a hand on Max's shoulder as he didn't answer them. "When did this happen?"  
  
Max struggled to keep his voice even as he answered them.  
  
"The night before the night when I held her dead in my arms."  
  
He was a turmoil of emotions. Sadness that he hadn't been with Liz when she gave birth, hope that she might actually be alive somewhere, a small sense of panic to be a father...  
  
"Oh Max," Isabel said, feeling sorry for her brother.  
  
"Did you know about this, Maxwell?" Michael asked, still irritated with Max's lack of responsibility. Max shook his head, his mind somewhat detached from what was happening around him.  
  
"Do you know where she is?" Max asked, his voice merely a whisper.  
  
Kira looked puzzled.  
  
"No. That's why we contacted you. We thought she was with you."  
  
"No, she disappeared five years ago," Max said.  
  
"If you keep so close watch at us, why haven't you noticed her missing?" Michael asked.  
  
"But we thought...Isn't Tess the mother?" Kira asked, confused.  
  
"Tess?" Max asked in disbelief, while Michael had to stop himself from laughing out loud at the absurdity of that statement.  
  
"Max would never be with Tess," Isabel said.  
  
"But she's Max's mate," Kira said. "Actually, Max can't reproduce with a human."  
  
Isabel, Michael and Max looked at each other.  
  
"Well, it seems as if you were wrong," Michael informed Kira. "Max has only been with Liz."  
  
"Liz Parker?" Kira asked.  
  
Max nodded, starting to feel a bit freaked out about the whole situation. His relationship and his child was being discussed like a missile crisis.  
  
"Wasn't she murdered?" Kira asked.  
  
"Max doesn't believe that," Isabel said. "He felt her a couple of years ago."  
  
"He 'felt' her?" Kira said.  
  
"Yes, they have this whole connection-thing going," Michael explained.  
  
"But she's completely human?" Kira asked and watched all the hybrids in front of him nod their heads.  
  
"This doesn't make sense," Kira mumbled.  
  
Max started to get worried. "Why?" he asked.  
  
"You aren't suppose to be able to connect with humans and you are absolutely not suppose to be able to reproduce with one," Kira said.  
  
"Perhaps something happened when you healed her, Max?" Isabel said. "She was able to reach you that day in New York - of course, I had to help her, but Ava said that you had changed her."  
  
"What?" Kira said. "You healed her?"  
  
"She was shot...and...and I couldn't let her die," Max said.  
  
Kira sank down onto a bench, his hand rubbing his forehead.  
  
"I have to consider this recent information," he said. "But this makes the situation worse."  
  
"How's that?" Michael said.  
  
"Your enemies are soon going to find out about your heir too and they will try to get to him."  
  
"What do you mean?" Max whispered, as dread started to fill him. He knew exactly what Kira meant.  
  
"We have to find Liz and you heir before your enemies do - or they are as good as dead."  
[i]Santa Fe, New Mexico - 2005[/i]  
  
"So what do you wanna do today?" Elizabeth asked her daughter. They were standing in the kitchen, making pancakes.  
  
"I wanna see a movie," Emma answered.  
  
"You wanna go to the cinema?" Elizabeth said and tried to fight of the dizziness that tried to take its claim on her.  
  
"Yes," Emma said, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Then...then we'll do that," Elizabeth said, her fists clenched. Emma, who was used to her mother's symptoms (despite Elizabeth's thorough efforts to try to hide it from her), watched her intently.  
  
"Mommy, are you awight?" she asked.  
  
"I'm fine, honey," Elizabeth said, her eyes closed in concentration as she blindly reached out for something to steady herself with. Her hand came into contact with something hot - something really hot. She withdrew her hand with a cry of pain.  
  
"Mommy, you hurt yourself," Emma said. Elizabeth was looking at her hand - she had put her hand on the hot plate of the stove. Before Elizabeth had time to react, Emma had put her own little hand in Elizabeth's, which had started to get really red from the burn. Elizabeth looked at her four-year- old, who closed her eyes - a frown of concentration on her forehead - and Elizabeth could feel a small tingling in her hand and the pain gradually decreasing. Elizabeth looked down at their clasped hands and saw for a split second a white glow radiating from between their palms. The glow started a series of flashes in her mind. The flashes were so strong that she had to take a hold of the sink to stop herself from falling. There was naked skin, lips, warmth, passion, love...so much love and that glow. That glow was radiating from the skin. She came crashing down to Earth with a gasp.  
  
"What happened, mommy?" Emma asked. Elizabeth looked down into the frightened eyes of her daughter, her thoughts still on the flashes that she knew in the bottom of her heart were memories from the night Emma was conceived.  
[i]Roswell, New Mexico - 2005[/i]  
  
The old gang was gathered in the park in Roswell. The old gang - minus Liz Parker. Kyle was at some seminar about buddhism in another part of the country and Tess...well, perhaps she never was part of the gang... They were all going to the same university, but had made an old unspoken tradition of returning to Roswell on the weekends and holidays. In some respects they were still holding on to the past. Max more than anyone else, since he couldn't let go off Liz -still convinced that she was out there somewhere. Nevertheless, they knew that their enemies were still out there, even though nothing had happened since Liz's death. Max, Michael and Isabel knew that they would probably be living their whole lives constantly on guard, but they also knew that Maria, Alex, sheriff Valenti and Kyle were just as tangled up in this now as well, so they had to keep together in order to protect each other. Michael and Maria were sharing an apartment close to the university. Max lived on campus, as did Isabel. Alex was sharing an apartment together with Kyle. When they had decided to share an apartment Michael had to contain himself not to laugh out loud. That was just a nice couple!  
  
"Do you really think that it will be easier to find her now?" Michael asked. "You've already looked about everywhere!" They were once again discussing Liz.  
  
"I can't look everywhere," Max said. "I've only searched the public institutions - like hospitals, police... I can't go knocking on every door and she certainly isn't Liz Parker anymore, because Valenti hasn't been able to locate her using her name."  
  
"Well, I hate to break it to you, Maxwell, but perhaps she doesn't want to be found," Michael said. Max's eyes glazed over with sadness and Maria punched Michael on the shoulder.  
  
"Ouch," Michael shouted out. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Don't say that, Michael. She might be hurt, or something even worse. Perhaps she's held prisoner. But I know that Liz wouldn't avoid us. She wouldn't hide from us voluntary...only if she was trying to...protect us," Maria said and jerked her head up. "Oh my God, that's it! Liz is doing her trying-to-protect-everyone-else-at-the-cost-of-her-own-happiness thing again. I'm telling you, she's probably hiding because she knows that the enemies will come after her baby and she doesn't want to lead them to Max too. God, it's just the future Max thing all over again!"  
  
Max's head jerked up.  
  
"What did you say?!" he asked.  
  
Maria met Max's gaze while she replayed what she had said in her head. Oh, crap! She had revealed her best friend's most treasured secret.  
  
"No, no I didn't say nothing," Maria stuttered.  
  
Isabel, Alex and Michael all looked at Maria and Max. Max looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown, but simultaneously seemed more determined than they have seen him in years, and Maria looked extremely guilty. Thoughts running through his mind, Max held Maria's gaze. She knew something and he was gonna make her tell him what it was.  
  
"Yes, you did, Maria. Tell me! Liz was keeping secrets from me, wasn't she?!"  
  
"I-I-I promised not to tell you Max," Maria said.  
  
"It might be relevant to the situation," Isabel said. "Perhaps it will help us find Liz."  
  
"No-no, I don't think it has anything to do with that," Maria stuttered, inwardly kicking herself for giving Liz's secret away.  
  
"It can't hurt now, can it? Liz is gone," Michael said.  
  
"Liz isn't gone," Max said.. "She's just...missing. Now, tell us Maria. What was Liz keeping from us?"  
  
"You have to keep in mind that she was doing it for you," Maria said.  
  
"Spill Maria," Alex said.  
  
"Okay." Maria took a deep breath, and held Max's gaze - focusing only on him. "Max, you know this whole Liz slept with Kyle thing..." Maria said.  
  
"Like I could ever forget," Max thought but said, "Yeah."  
  
"Okay...I'm just gonna say this...and even though it might sound a bit freaky - it's actually true...either that or Liz was a whacko-"  
  
"Maria, please. Tell us," Alex whined with an exaggerated painful expression on his face. "You're killing us here, you're worst than a FBI- agent at giving away information!"  
  
Maria took a deep breath.  
  
"Okay, here goes nothing... The Granolith is very powerful and it could obviously be used for time-traveling," Maria was met with four sets of mistrusting pairs of eyes, "Anyway, a future Max - from year 2014 more exactly," now everyone was looking at her like she had grown antennas, "decided to pay Liz a visit and ruin all her future hopes! Future Max told Liz that she had to get present Max to fall out of love with her."  
  
"What?!" Max exclaimed and stood up.  
  
"Max, calm down," Isabel said.  
  
"Why did he..I...the future version of me-"  
  
"Now you know how I feel," Maria mumbled.  
  
"Why did he tell Liz to do that?" Max asked.  
  
"Because you, girlfriend, decided to treat Tess like trash while you were making goo-goo eyes with Liz, and Tess got fed up with it and left," Maria explained.  
  
"So...? What's the crisis with that?" Michael asked, not really seeing a loss with Tess leaving. Since Liz disappeared she had been an even bigger pain in the ass - which Michael didn't even think was possible - crawling all over Max.  
  
"As I understood it, you were all part of a complete unit - the royal four, or whatever," Maria causally waved her hand, indicating how ridiculous she thought that was, "some sort of fighting unit, and without Tess you were lacking something. In 2014 the enemies arrived to Earth and there was a war and people started dying and your powers weren't as strong without Tess. So Max comes back from the future to prevent Tess from leaving, so they wouldn't all be dead in the future. That's basically it."  
  
Maria looked around her and was met by one speechless human and three stunned hybrids.  
  
"Welcome to the life of Maria Deluca," Maria sighed.  
[i]Santa Fe, New Mexico - 2005 [/i]  
  
"Oh, what a cutie!"  
  
Elizabeth turned around to see an old lady leaning over her daughter, sitting in the shopping cart.  
  
"Is she yours?" the old lady asked, looking the young woman over.  
  
"Yes," Elizabeth answered.  
  
"She's just adorable," the lady said and then her voice pitched a level higher as she talked to Emma, "And what is your name, sweety?"  
  
Emma looked worriedly at her mom. Her mom always told her never to talk to strangers. Elizabeth smiled at her daughter and nodded her head, giving her daughter approval to speak.  
  
"Emma," Emma answered.  
  
"What a beautiful name," the old lady said and looked down at the ice-cream box the little girl was clutching to her chest.  
  
"You like ice-cream, huh?"  
  
Emma nodded seriously, but her attention wasn't really on the old lady any longer. She could feel that her mother wasn't feeling too well. Emma looked at her mother, but Emma was a smart girl and she knew her mother. She didn't want to put her mother in a difficult situation, since she knew how hard it was for her mother to ask for help. Emma focused on her mother and tried to send her energy and power.  
  
Elizabeth felt the energy and was not for the first time reminded of the energy surge she had felt when she had given birth to Emma. She had thought about it a lot but she still couldn't truly understand it. It had felt as if a warm presence had walked into her mind, showering her with encouragement, calm, strength and love. It was the most beautiful, calming and wonderful thing she had ever felt. When she now felt the surge again she wondered where it came from, but it made her feel a little better. The pounding headache was alleviated and the burning in the back - always there to remind her of the scarred skin - came to an end.  
  
"Would you like a lollipop?" the old lady questioned Emma.  
  
Emma once again looked at Elizabeth and Elizabeth felt a sting in her chest. She had  
  
made her daughter that suspicious, so untrusting of people. It was not the childhood Elizabeth wished for Emma. Emma should be able to carefreely play with other children. The reality was that Emma had never met anyone else in her own age, she had never played with another child - only with her mother. She lived a protected life and Elizabeth had on more than one occasion thought about that Emma almost was a prisoner, just because Elizabeth was so anxious to protect her from all harm. More than once had Elizabeth thought that she also 'protected' Emma from all the good things in life as well by keeping her away from the real world. Emma wasn't really living... she had to grow up too fast, worrying about her mother.  
  
"It's okay, pumpkin," Elizabeth said.  
  
"Yes, dank you, I-I...would like a lollipop," Emma said.  
  
The old lady smiled a warm smile. She felt so bad for the child. Her mother was so young and her heart ached as she realized that the young woman looked like a drug-addict. The young woman's clothes were washed out, she was thin and pale and her hair had no shine. Although, the old woman had to admit that the little girl looked well cared for. It looked as if the mother spend all her money on the girl. The girl had nice clothes, her hair was newly-cut and neatly pulled up into two pig-tails and she looked healthy. And she was just so darn cute!  
  
"Here you go, sweety," the old lady said and gave Emma a lollipop. Then she opened her handbag and pulled out her purse. Elizabeth realized what she was doing and started to shake her head.  
  
"Oh, no. That's very kind of you, but you don't have to pay."  
  
"Oh, but I want to. It's no problem," the old woman said.  
  
"Okay," Elizabeth agreed, not having the energy to argue over a lollipop with an old woman in the middle of a store, only because she didn't like being treated as a charity case.  
  
"Here you go," the old woman mused and pressed some bills into Elizabeth's hand. To use all of those money, you had to buy at least five hundred lollipops.  
  
"This is too much," Elizabeth said.  
  
"I'm just trying to help you out," the old woman said, somewhat offended by the young woman.  
  
"Yes, I understand that, it's very nice of you," Elizabeth emphasized, "But I can take care of myself, I'm sure you have some grandchildren to spend those money on."  
  
"Yes I do, but you're child most certainly need it the most!"  
  
Elizabeth shook her head and put the money back in the old lady's hand.  
  
"Thank you, but no thanks," Elizabeth said firmly and put her hands back on the handle of the cart and started to push it towards the meat section.  
  
The old woman shook her head, thinking about that poor child who had to live with that stubborn and too proud drug-addict of a mother.  
"Hi! My name is Elizabeth Owens," Elizabeth said in the phone. "I would like to register my daughter, Emma Owens, at your day-care center."  
Emma walked beside Elizabeth down the street, their hands clasped together.  
  
"Did you have fun today?" Elizabeth asked.  
  
"Yes, we did a rattle, and we had toilet baper..."  
  
"You had toilet paper?" Elizabeth asked softly. "Do you mean the cardboard roll inside in the middle of the toilet paper?"  
  
Emma nodded excitedly.  
  
"Yes, yes," she said cheerfully. "We put peas in the dwoll and Maria put a pea in her nose!" Emma's pearl laughter tinkled through the air, but was only partly noticed by Elizabeth, who at the mention of the name Maria had experienced a momentary flash of a blonde beautiful girl with green eyes.  
  
"...and then she had to go to the hospidal, but then she had awready pick it out," Emma continued.  
  
Elizabeth pushed her own thoughts away and focused on her daughter.  
  
"She sure was lucky," Elizabeth said. It warmed her heart that she had obviously made the right decision to put Emma in day-care so that she could meet other children, and play and not be so alone. She was so much happier now. Emma needed to meet other people so that she could widen her world and her perspective, not only seeing everything from her mother's point of view. It had also been good for their economy (if one looked beyond the costs of having Emma at the day-care), since Elizabeth had been able to work a longer shift when Emma wasn't home.  
  
"Mommy, what's the hosbital?" Emma asked and looked up at Elizabeth with those soulful amber eyes, that pulled at Elizabeth's heart strings. Elizabeth had never taken Emma to the hospital - there was never any need to go there since Emma had never been sick. She hadn't even suffered from the normal cold. Elizabeth had always hired a baby-sitter to watch Emma when she had gone to the doctors for her medical problems and when she had gone to therapy in an effort to retrieve her lost memory. So Emma had never been anywhere near doctors or hospitals.  
  
"When you're sick you go to the hospital," Elizabeth said. "There are people there - doctors - that help you feel better."  
  
"Why don't you go dere, so you can feel better?" Emma asked.  
  
Elizabeth felt her chest tighten. She sat down on her heels, so that she was on eye-level with Emma.  
  
"Honey, you don't have to worry about me," Elizabeth said gently, pushing a strand of Emma's dark brown hair behind her ear. "Mommy's fine."  
  
"Then why do you hurt?" Emma said, tilting her head to the side desperately trying to understand.  
  
Elizabeth studied her daughter carefully. How did she know that? Elizabeth was always so careful not to give her symptoms or feelings away. She knew her daughter - she took everything on her own shoulders, she worried too much. Emma was too young to worry that much. If Elizabeth had remembered Emma's father she had understood more where that trait came from. Elizabeth didn't like keeping things from Emma, she wanted them to have an honest relationship but Elizabeth also wanted Emma to be a kid - a normal kid. Not be worrying about her mother's health.  
  
"Emma, I just feel that way sometimes, but it's nothing dangerous."  
  
Emma studied her mother. Not wanting her mother to feel uncomfortable she gave her a hug and hugged her tightly.  
  
"I love you, mommy," Emma said.  
  
"I love you too, sweetheart," Elizabeth said, tears stinging her eyes.  
  
"So, can I have an ice-cream now?" Emma asked, her eyes dancing.  
  
"Uh huh," Elizabeth laughed. "I knew there was a catch hidden there somewhere!"  
  
Emma giggled.  
  
"Okay, come here you!" Elizabeth said, lifting Emma off the ground and turning her upside down in the air. Emma's warm laughter filled the air.  
Twenty minutes later they walked through the door at their home. Emma rushed to the TV and turned it on, and soon the house was filled with the sound of cartoons. Elizabeth shook her head at her daughter and smiling walked into the kitchen to fix them a snack. As she was opening the refrigerator door to take out the milk, the phone rang. It was not many people who called them. The only ones who had their number was the day care, the baby sitter, Elizabeth's employers and her doctor. Fearing that it was the baby sitter, calling in sick, she answered the phone.  
  
"Hello," she said.  
  
"Is this Elizabeth Owens?" a dark male voice asked. He didn't sound friendly at all.  
  
"Yes," Elizabeth answered warily.  
  
"Do you have a daughter named Emma?" the voice continued.  
  
"Who are you?" Elizabeth demanded, not liking this conversation at all.  
  
"Who I am is not relevant," the man said.  
  
"Oh yes. It's very relevant to me," Elizabeth said.  
  
"How old are your daughter?" the man asked, ignoring Elizabeth.  
  
"Okay, I'm hanging up!"  
  
"You should not be so bitchy, it could be dangerous," the voice said and Elizabeth hung up the phone. The snack forgotten, Elizabeth walked into the living room, sat down beside Emma and pulled her into her lap, holding her close. Emma was so focused on the cartoon that she didn't notice her mother's shivers. 


	13. Book 1 Chapter 14

Hi all!

Okay, I was planning on updating once a week – honestly I was... But then I messed up... I'm so sorry. From now on I will try to update every Friday (at least from my time perspective... :D)

**Amylou, cheri, Signkat** (thanx a million for the tips!), **Susan, Ames, Akashaa, Burgandy Lily**. Thank you all sooooo much for the feedback! It makes my day so much brighter!! :D :D

**Chapter 14**   
  
_Santa Fe, New Mexico – 2005_  
  
"Mommy, mommy. Guess what, guess what!"   
  


Elizabeth captured her bouncy daughter in her arms.   
  


"No, I can't," Liz laughed after thinking about it for a few seconds.   
  


"Oh, you have to twy!" Emma wailed dramatically.   
  


Elizabeth pondered it, putting on a broody face.   
  


"You've won a beauty contest and will spend your future days petting pets and looking beautiful."   
  


"No," Emma giggled.   
  


"You're...getting married?" she suggested.   
  


"Mommy!"   
  


"Okay....now I got it! You're moving to Hollywood to be a very successful actress."   
  


"You're hobeless," Emma giggled. "We are going on a bield trip!"   
  


"You're going on a field trip?" Elizabeth asked.   
  


Emma nodded her head feverishly, obviously struggling to contain her excitement.   
  


"Where?" Elizabeth asked.   
  
"We going to see ALIENS!!" Emma shouted and started bouncing up and down, as if seeing aliens was the best experience in the whole world.   
  


"You are?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.   
  


"Yes," Emma said her eyes sparkling.   
  


"Where?" Elizabeth asked, believing it was someplace in Santa Fe she hadn't heard of.   
  


"In Rosbell," Emma said.   
  


"I'm sorry, honey, what was that?" Elizabeth asked, her mind searching for something named Rosbell located in Santa Fe.   
  


"We're going to Roswell - home of the aliens," the voice of Emma's teacher Ms. Harris said, stepping up behind them. If Elizabeth had held a memory that run further than about five years, she would most certainly know what Roswell where - even if it wasn't for the fact that she actually was born there. But she didn't know that.   
  


Elizabeth looked at the teacher. She was young to be a teacher - but on the other hand, Elizabeth was young to be a mother. They were possibly at about the same age.   
  
"Really, is it far from here?" Elizabeth asked.   
  


"You're kidding, right?" Ms. Harris said with a hesitant smile. "It's here in New Mexico, just a couple of miles from here."   
  


Elizabeth realized that she was suppose to know this place and played along.   
  


"Right, Roswell!" she said and put on a wide smile.   
  


Ms. Harris relaxed and gave a more natural smile.   
  


"We're going to visit a UFO museum. It will be fun. Of course, I need your consent and there is a small fee."   
  


"I-I have to think about it," Elizabeth said.   
  


"Sure. But it will not only be me there. There will be other teachers as well. I could not imagine myself alone with twenty one-meters tall rascals," Ms. Harris laughed.   
  


Elizabeth laughed as well.   
  


"Yeah, I can understand that," Elizabeth said, even though she couldn't really understand it since she only had contact with her daughter and her daughter acted like a responsible, calm eight-year-old.   
  
Ms. Harris sat down on her heels.   
"I'll see you tomorrow, darling," she said to Emma.   
  


"Yes, Ms. Harris," Emma said.   
  


"Bye," Ms. Harris said.   
  


"Bye, Ms. Harris," Emma said and grasped her mother's hand.   
  


"Bye, Mrs. Owen. It was nice to meet you," Ms. Harris said.   
  


"Oh, just call me Elizabeth and it was nice to meet you too," Elizabeth said, not bothering to inform her that she wasn't married.   
  


"Okay, Elizabeth. Just call me if you have any questions about the field trip, okay? You have my number?"   
  


Elizabeth nodded.   
  


"Yes, thank you. Bye."   
  


"Bye," Ms. Harris said.   
  


  
  
_Roswell, New Mexico_  
  
"Max...Max," Brody called. 

  
Max turned towards his boss. Max was still working in the UFO center in the weekends. It was not so much for the humble pay, but more to keep himself and the others updated on all alien activities.   
  


"What's up, Brody?" Max asked.   
  


"We have to make some plans," Brody said with his English accent, "We have a whole class of four- and five-year-olds coming from Santa Fe tomorrow."   
  


"Right," Max said and his thoughts wandered to his own child. His child would be about the same age as those kids.   
  


"C'mon, Max. Let's do some planning!"   
  
  


  
_Santa Fe, New Mexico - the next day_   
  
"Now, you be careful, Emma. Stay with the group, okay," Elizabeth said, her concern for letting her baby 'on her own' for the first time, displayed on her face.   
  


"Mom, don't worry," Emma said seriously and hugged her worried mom once more. "I will hold Maria's hand the whole time."   
  


Elizabeth nodded. She knew that it was just a field trip. Children went on them all the time. She was just another worried mother. Right, a mother who didn't know what could come back and hunt her, and maybe even her daughter, from the past she couldn't remember.   
Elizabeth followed her daughter with her eyes as she stepped onto the bus and sat down beside her friends and waved goodbye to her mother, grinning from ear to ear. Elizabeth waved back and looked after the bus until it had disappeared from her sight.   
  
  


  
_Roswell, New Mexico_  
  
"Okay, Max. Here comes the bus, hold your weapons ready," Brody joked.   
  


"They're not that bad are they?" Max asked slowly.   
  


"Well, you obviously have never met a couple of four-year-olds," Brody said and chuckled at Max's somewhat frightened expression. "Don't worry, Max. You'll handle it!"   
  


That's when the children started to get off the bus and the sound level more or less shot through the roof. The blurry noise of children's voices filled the air and they had not even entered the UFO center yet. Two or three were crying. Then the door opened and Max wished he had called in sick.   
  
"Andy...it will be okay," a young woman comforted a crying child who held a strong grip with both his hands around the woman's leg. "There are no aliens here. No one is taking you away." She stepped up to Brody with an apologetic smile and offered her hand.   
  


"Mr. Davis?"   
  


"Yes," Brody answered and took her hand.   
  


"Hi, I'm Anne Harris," Ms. Harris said and shook Brody's hand firmly. "Sorry about this," she added and waved her hand over the child still clinging to her leg. "He's a little afraid, but he will come around."   
  


"This is Max Ev-" Brody started but stopped as he saw Max kneeling down in front of the boy.   
  


"Hey, what's your name?" Max asked gently.   
  


"Andy," the boy piped.   
  


"Hi Andy! Do you wanna see something really cool?" Max asked in a secretive voice.   
Andy looked very interested, but he fought very hard to not let his curiosity take the best of him.   
  
"But you have to let go off your teacher's leg or I can't show you," Max said.   
  


After some thorough thinking the boy let go off Ms. Harris leg and took Max's outstretched hand. Max led the small boy past all the scary alien dolls and alien pictures, past all the autopsy models towards the exhibition of the flying saucers. There was a large flying saucer there, which was large enough to squeeze in a four-year-old into. Keeping one hand hidden on the back of the saucer, Max kept the spacecraft in position as Andy climbed in. The saucer would have fallen down from the strings that was holding it in place under the weight of the child, if it hadn't been for Max's 'assistance'. Soon all the children had gathered around their new playmate and was all very eager to sit in the saucer.   
  
  
Ten minutes later, Max's powers were starting to grow a bit weaker - he was getting tired. The high-pitched voices, the laughter and the yelling of the children didn't make the situation any easier. He was a bit startled by the touch of a little hand on his hip.   
  


"Mister," a small voice said.   
  


Max turned around and almost fainted. In front of him stood an almost exact replica of the girl he had lost almost five years ago, the girl who he would have traded his life to get one minute more with. But could it be...? He shook his head to clear his mind and focus on the little girl standing in front of him, looking up at him with a concerned look on her face. Her small body was that of a four-year-old, however her beautiful face spoke of a wisdom and maturity that was not only four years old.   
  


"Yes," he said, his voice a level higher than usual.   
  


"Are you awright?" the girl asked.   
  


Max couldn't help but stare at her. God, was she....was she Liz's daughter? Had he been searching so long and so hard for Liz and his child to just have them found him? Max felt drawn to that little girl, and it was not only due to her similarity to his long lost soulmate. It was something else.   
  


"Mister?" the girl asked again, her small hand now having slipped into of Max's large one.   
Emma didn't know why she had gone up to that man. She felt that he was tired...and lonely. She felt that she should comfort him. She knew that her mother had told her not to talk to strangers, but he didn't seem like a stranger. He seemed kind.   
  
"I'm Max," Max said and smiled a little. "What's your name?"   
  


"Emma," the girl answered.   
  


"Hi, Emma," Max said. "Now, is there something you wanna see here?"   
  


Emma looked at him. He reminded her of her mother, how she always tried to talk about other things when Emma asked if she was okay.   
  


Emma shook her head and then lowered it a bit in embarrassment.   
  


Max only saw Liz.   
  


"I-I'm hungwy," she murmured.   
  


"You're hungry?" Max asked.   
  


"Uh huh," Emma said, looking up and nodding her head.   
  


"I know a great place where they have great food," Max said. "But we should probably talk to your teacher first. Maybe more of your friends are hungry."   
  
"Yes, my mommy said that I shouldn't leave the gwoup," Emma said.   
  


"Your mommy," Max repeated, mainly to himself.   
  


"Yes," Emma said, having heard him and smiled a little as she continued. "She is so worried, she's worried all the time - ALL the time."   
  


Max smiled at the little girl, which he already liked. She was so much different from the other kids. She didn't act her age - she was very mature. She seemed to have a big heart, and seemed to care and look out for the people around her. "Just like Liz," Max thought.   
Max felt something soft against his palm and looked down to find the girl's hand tucked in his. It made him all warm inside.   
  


Ms. Harris smiled at the couple approaching them. That cute guy, Max, had not only seen to it that all the children had had a fun time, but now he seemed to have won the trust of the suspicious Emma Owens in only a couple of minutes. Now that she saw them beside each, she noticed that there was a certain resemblance between them. Max's eyes reminded her a lot of Emma's.   
  


"That's a weird coincidence," Ms. Harris thought.   
  


"There you are, Emma," Ms. Harris said and looked at Max. "Thank you for taking care of her."   
  
"No problem," Max said, "Actually, she's one of the less difficult ones."   
  


"Yes, she's a very responsible little lady, aren't you Emma," Ms. Harris said.   
  


"Yes, Ms. Harris," Emma said as on commando.   
  


Ms. Harris and Max smiled in unison at the politeness of the little girl.   
  


"Emma told me that she was hungry, and I know this great place across the street where they have everything from hamburgers to blueberry pies," Max said.   
  


"Well, I guess most of the others are hungry as well," Ms. Harris said, "And we were planning on feeding them anyway so if you say that this place is good then it's a good finalist."   
  


"They have this alien theme that I bet the kids will find funny," Max said.   
Ms. Harris chuckled.   
  


"I'm sure they will," Ms. Harris said.   
  


"Are you eatin' too, Max?" Emma asked.   
  


Max looked down at the little angel.   
  


"Yes, I guess," he answered.   
  


"Good," Emma said.   
  


Max couldn't stop himself from smiling. There was something about that girl that made him happy. Or maybe it was just that she reminded him so much of Liz.   
  
"Okay everybody," Ms. Harris said in a little louder voice to be heard over the chattering of the children. "We're going eating across the street. Everybody - find a friend and do not let go of that friend's hand. Do not start walking across the street until I say so and...stay calm!"   
Ms. Harris turned to Emma as the other children started to group into two and two.   
  


"Emma, you should go and find a friend," Ms. Harris said as Emma hadn't made any indication of any movement in the direction of finding a friend.   
  


"Can I go with Max, Ms. Harris? He's eatin' too," Emma asked. She felt very safe with Max and wanted to stay with him.   
  


Ms. Harris smiled at her and thought it was just so cute how they had bonded so quickly.   
  


"Of course, Emma," Ms. Harris approved. "If it's okay with you, Mr. Evans?"   
  


"Sure," Max said.   
  
  
"Oh no! What's that?!" Isabel asked, sighing dramatically while staring out through the windows of the CrashDown with a frightened look on her face.   
  


Michael turned around in his seat to take a look for himself.   
  


"Shit! You must be kidding me!" he exclaimed as he saw the wild herd of little people approaching, heading for the CrashDown.   
  


"Don't tell me they're gonna eat here," Isabel said under her breath. The doors to the CrashDown flew open and the chatter and laughing of twenty four-year-olds seeped into the restaurant.   
  


"Oh God," the two aliens heard Maria murmur beside them.   
  


Then Max stepped in. But he wasn't alone. He was holding hands with a little girl.   
  


"Oh my God," Isabel whispered, "Michael!"   
  


Michael looked at Isabel and after seeing her mixed expression he turned into the direction of her gaze. Michael saw that Max was holding one of the four-year-olds hand. The little girl had his back to him, but she had long brown shiny hair...and then she turned and Michael found himself looking at a miniature Liz Parker, with eyes that Michael would recognize anywhere. Brown, deep eyes with flickers of amber - Max's eyes. The girl holding Max's hand so tightly was unmistakably Max's and Liz's daughter.   
  


TBC...


	14. Book 1 Chapter 15

Hi all! I've managed to keep my one-update-per-week rule. :D

**dawnsona, Akashaa, Burgandy Lily, tals, angeleyes** – Thank you all so very much for the feedback!!! :D :D :D

**Chapter 15**   
  
Maria gasped at the sight of the girl holding Max's hand. It couldn't be. She looked just like... No, how bizarre wouldn't it be that Liz's daughter walked into the Crashdown, holding hands with Max Evans. She inhaled deeply and moved towards Max and the little girl, oblivious to the rest of the hungry children crowd.   
  
Max looked up and saw Maria approaching. She looked like she had seen a ghost, and she couldn't stop staring at Emma.   
  


"Hi...Max," Maria said slowly, her eyes still glued on Emma.   
  


"Hi, Maria," Max said. Maria obviously had seen the same resemblance to Liz in that girl as he had.   
  


"Now...aren't you gonna introduce us," Maria said, her voice monotone, like she was being hypnotized by the girl with the amber eyes.   
  


Max smiled. He had never seen Maria having such difficulties with speaking before.   
"Uhm, Maria - I like you to meet Emma."   
  


Maria kneeled in front of Emma and put out her hand to the girl.   
"Hi, Emma. Nice to meet you."   
  


Emma held Maria's gaze, something that reminded her of how Liz had always looked into her eyes - not looking away. Maria had always felt like she couldn't hide anything from Liz. Liz had always been able to see right through her.   
  


"Hi. My best friend's name is also Maria," Emma explained.   
  


Maria smiled. "Really? Another Maria? Well, you have to introduce us then."   
  


Emma eyes immediately began searching the restaurant and landed on her blonde friend.   
"There she is," Emma said and pointed. She let go off Max's hand and went to fetch her friend. Maria looked up at Max.   
  


"Max..." she said.   
  


"I know, I know," Max said. "She looks a lot like Liz. I was a bit spooked too."   
  


Maria stared at him. Was he joking?   
  


"Max, you're not telling me that you don't see that she _is_ Liz's daughter?"   
  


In the seconds to follow, a thousands emotions were displayed in Max's expressive eyes. Panic, joy, grief, nervousness, denial, disbelief, hope, love...   
  


"What do you mean? That she is Liz's daughter?" Max asked dumbfounded.   
  


"That's what I said, didn't I?" Maria whispered, herself completely shocked by the situation.   
  


That's when Isabel and Michael decided to join the conversation.   
  


"What's going on, Max?" Michael demanded.   
  


"I-I..." Max stuttered, his eyes fixed on the little girl who was talking with her friend at the other end of the CrashDown, emphasizing her words with exaggerated movements of her hands.   
  


"Max....she looks just like Liz," Isabel whispered, her voice not strong enough to speak in a normal conversational tone.   
  


"Is that your daughter, Maxwell?" Michael asked, cutting right to the chase.   
  


"We don't know," Maria said as Max wasn't answering. "But it's pretty obvious, isn't it. I mean, we all see that she looks _a lot_ like Liz and she has Max's eyes."   
  


"Has someone taken Max's eyes?" Emma's voice questioned. Everyone turned their heads to look at her.   
  


"No, Emma. We were just talking," Maria said. "And this is Maria, I presume."   
  


Emma nodded excitedly, her concern for a possible removal of Max's eyes quickly replaced by her excitement to show them her friend.   
  
  
  
_Santa Fe, New Mexico_   
  
"Elizabeth, god damnit! Can you get anything right today?!" her boss yelled. Elizabeth closed her eyes and focused on pushing the pain far back in her head.   
  


"I'm sorry, Mr. Manes. It won't happen again," Elizabeth apologized.   
  


"So you say. Should I remind you that you said that the last time you messed up an order too - and the time before that and before that. I'm telling you, Miss Owens. There are probably many who would want to have an extra income. You would not be difficult to replace!"   
  


"I'm sorry, I really am," Elizabeth murmured and swallowed hard, forcing down the nausea.   
  
  
  
_Roswell, New Mexico_   
  
Emma's stomach churned, and she rubbed her hand over it unconsciously. Max noticed the movement right away.

   
"Emma, are you hungry?" he asked.   
  


Emma contemplated about that for a few seconds. She had been feeling really hungry just a minute ago, but now she felt sick to her stomach. With a small grimace she shook her head.   
  


"Are you all right, honey?" Maria asked.   
  


They had all settled at one booth. The sight was actually a bit comical. Four adults in their early twenties with one little girl at four - while all other four-year-olds were grouped in adjacent booths with their teachers.   
  


Emma nodded her head - already picking up on her mother's classical behavior.   
  


"Don't you wanna eat something?" Isabel asked. "You probably haven't eaten anything for hours."   
  


"I..I want a soda, please," Emma said hesitant, suddenly feeling uncomfortable sitting there. She wanted to go home. She wanted her mommy.   
  


"I'll get it," Maria said and stood up. Maria didn't work at the CrashDown anymore but she still knew her way around the familiar restaurant and Mr. Parker didn't mind that she helped herself around the kitchen.   
  
"So, Emma. Did you have a good time at the UFO center?" Isabel asked.   
  


Emma nodded, excitement grazing her features.   
"It was weally funny! Max help us climb into space plane!"   
  


Isabel looked at Max and smiled. She couldn't quite interpret Max's expression. Max himself couldn't sort his feelings. He didn't know what to feel. The others all seemed convinced that the little girl sitting beside him was his daughter - the daughter he had searched after for four years. Instinctually he somehow _knew that it was in fact his daughter.   
Maria came back with Emma's soda and put it down in front of her.   
  
_

"I picked cherry coke, is that okay?" Maria asked.   
  


"That's my favewit," Emma said, smiling broadly.   
  


"I guessed that much," Maria said, unable to not smile.   
  
"Emma, we have to leave now. The bus leaves in ten minutes," Ms. Harris announced, stepping up to the group.   
  


Fear slammed into Max. He couldn't let her go now! Emma rose and took Ms. Harris hand. The whole group around the table looked at each other - not knowing what to do.   
  


"Uhm, excuse me Ms. Harris," Max said.   
  


"Yes," Ms. Harris said and smiled.   
  


"What's the name of Emma's mother?" Max asked bluntly, not knowing how to sugar-coat the question so he just blurted it out there.   
  


Ms. Harris looked confused.   
  


"Why do you wanna know?" she asked, thinking of a conversation she'd had with Emma's mother. Elizabeth had made it absolutely crystal clear that no one was to know Emma's surname or who her mother was. Ms. Harris had of course wondered why, but Elizabeth had only told her that she couldn't tell but that it could be dangerous for Emma if someone knew that information. That a strange man now was asking for her name, made her very suspicious of his intentions.   
  
"Eh..eh," Max stuttered, taken aback by the unfriendly tone of Ms. Harris.   
  


"It's just that Emma looks exactly like someone we knew growing up," Maria said. "We lost touch with each other and it would be incredible to meet her again."   
Max shot Maria a grateful look.   
  


"I really don't like handing out that information just to anyone," Ms. Harris said.   
  


"Sounds like Liz wants to stay hidden," Michael thought.   
  


"Hey Emma, where did your mother grow up?" Michael asked Emma, thinking that it perhaps was easier to go through the girl.   
  


Emma thought hard and then shook her head.   
  


"I dunno," she said.   
  


"It's just that she left without a trace, she never said anything. One morning she was just..gone," Max said.   
  


"She was my best friend," Maria said, "and I would love to know what she has been up to all these years."   
  
Ms. Harris looked around the faces of the people who had spent about an hour with Emma. They seemed to be about the same age as Emma's mother. They didn't seem like bad people, but you never know, right? However, Mr. Evans had been awfully sweet today and helped with the children. He and Emma had sort of hit it off with each other immediately as well.   
  


"Okay...," Ms. Harris said and sighed, "she lives in Santa Fe and her surname is Owens. But more information than that I will not give you."   
  


"Thank you so much, Ms. Harris," Max said, "and I'm sorry if we put you in an awful situation here."   
  


Ms. Harris smiled. He sure was sweet...and cute too.   
"No problem," she said.   
  


There was a pause and everyone looked at Emma, which would be separated from them in just a few minutes. Okay, everybody except Ms. Harris who was checking out Max. He was really cute and he had been so good with the children. And they were about the same age. Well, she knew where he lived. Maybe she would pay him a visit sometime.   
  


"Okay, Emma. Are you ready to leave?" Ms. Harris asked.   
  


Emma nodded. Her nausea had disappeared but that meant that her hunger had returned, and now they had to leave and she didn't have time to eat.   
  
"Bye, Emma. It was nice meeting you," Maria said crouching in front of Emma. Before Emma knew what was happening, she found herself wrapped in Maria's arms. Maria couldn't help herself. This was Liz's daughter.   
  


Michael smiled and shook his head at his girlfriend.   
Maria pulled back and Emma could see tears in her eyes. Being Max's daughter Emma wondered why she was crying. Was she hurt?   
  


"Why are you cwying?" she asked.   
  


Maria smiled.   
"Oh, it's nothing. Just being a bit sentimental," Maria said.   
  


Emma nodded, not really understanding the word 'sentimental'.   
"You take care of yourself, okay?" Emma nodded again, puzzled by Maria's tears, "And take care of your mother."   
  


"Yes," Emma said.   
  


"Good girl," Maria sniffed, quickly wiped the tears away from her face with the back of her hand and straightened up.   
  
Max took Maria's position in front of Emma and looked into her eyes. To the observers it seemed as if Max and Emma were talking with their eyes, forming a connection so deep it could only be understood by themselves. Max was watching Emma, memorizing her every feature. He didn't want to let her go, but he had to. He would make sure that they met again.   
  


"You keep safe," Max said and Emma nodded, and then she got a sense of something familiar and warm. Like she was being wrapped in a blanket of security and she suddenly just knew.   
  


"Are you my daddy?" she asked, her voice so low that only Max was able to hear her.   
Max was startled by the question. He nodded his head slowly. Now more certain than ever that she was his child.   
  


Emma smiled and jumped into his arms. She was so soft and so warm...and so small. Max wanted to protect her from everything. His arms went around her and he held her tightly, feeling tears stinging his eyes. His hand went into her hair, the same hair as Liz's and tears started to run down his face.   
  
Emma was safe. She felt safe. She knew that this was her daddy and she couldn't wait to tell her mommy that she had found her daddy.   
  


"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Evans, " Ms. Harris said, deeply touched by the whole scene. "We have to leave."   
  


Emma reluctantly left her daddy's embrace.   
"Why are you sad?" she asked, seeing his tears.   
  


Max looked at her and smiled softly.   
"I'm not sad, Emma. It's happy tears," he answered.   
  


Emma grinned.   
"Bye daddy," Emma said and took Ms. Harris hand and walked out of the CrashDown, leaving her daddy still crouching on the floor watching after her.   
  


Max felt Isabel lay her hand on his shoulder.   
"My God, Max," Isabel whispered. Max stood up and hugged Isabel to him. His emotions were running overdrive.   
  


"How did she know, Max?" Michael asked, referring to the fact that Emma had called Max 'daddy'.   
  


"I don't know, Michael," Max said and stepped out of Isabel's hug, "I don't know."   
  


"Come on you guys," Maria said, having found a napkin to dry the tears that kept running down her cheeks. "We have a Liz Parker to find!"

TBC...


	15. Book 1 Chapter 16

Hey everyone!! 

**kagarichan** – Hey! Welcome to this fic, and thank you sooo much for the feedback!! It really meant a lot to me!! Thank you J

**tals** – Thank you so much!!!!!!

**Burgandy Lily** – Hey. Yeah, I know I'm a bit mean... *looking at the roof innocently* And I can't promise you that I will not leave you hanging in this chapter either... hmmm... well, just remember that it's getting brighter now... (at least for a while ;) ) Thank you for the fb!! J

**Chapter 16**  
  


  
_Santa Fe, New Mexico_   
  
"Mommy, mommy!" cried a familiar voice behind her. Elizabeth turned around and found her daughter running towards her. Elizabeth caught her in a hug and spun her around.   
  


"Thank you," Elizabeth thought, relieved that she had Emma back into her arms again – safe.   
  


"Hi darling," Elizabeth said. "Did you have a good time?"   
  


"Yes," Emma said and was so wild with excitement that Elizabeth had to put her back down on the ground. "First Andy was weally sad 'cause he was 'fraid of the aliens, but I wasn't 'fraid. And then he was happy again 'cause he got to fly this space..uhm...plane and all other got to fly too and it was weally fun. And then I met another Maria and we ate at a rest...rest..."   
  


"A restaurant?" Elizabeth asked with a smile at her daughter's rambling.   
  


"Yes, a rest...rest...," Elizabeth gave up on that and continued, her words going a mile a minute, "and then guess what, mom?"   
  


"What?" Elizabeth asked.   
  
"No, you have to guess!" Emma scolded.   
  


Elizabeth laughed softly.   
"Hmmm...maybe you met an alien?" she guessed, not knowing how correct she actually was.   
  


"Nooo," Emma sighed, but before her mother could make another guess it was out of Emma's mouth.   
  


"I found daddy," she said.   
  


Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart was slamming against her ribs.   
"What?" she whispered, her voice not holding up any longer.   
  


"He was at this home where the aliens lived," Emma continued, referring to the UFO center, "and then we went to eat together. Maria is daddy's friend and she gave me a soda, but I felt sick to my stomach..."   
  


Emma was already on the next subject, unaware of the fact that she had lost her mother's attention several sentences ago.   
  


"What's his name?" Elizabeth whispered, interrupting Emma's thorough description of how the restaurant looked, with painted aliens and all.   
  
"Whose?" Emma asked, confused.   
  


"Uhm...daddy's," Elizabeth said.   
  


"Max," Emma answered.   
  


"Oh my God," Elizabeth said, a male face flashing by in her mind. A dark-haired, handsome man with Emma's eyes. "Come on, Emma. Let's get home."   
  


****  
  
The TV was on, but Elizabeth was neither watching nor listening to it. She was thinking about him. How could Emma know that he was her daddy? Was it Max that was after her? She couldn't know that, could she? Maybe she had run away to escape him, and he had kidnapped her instead or something like that. No, that didn't sound realistic. Anyway, he didn't seem like someone she couldn't trust. Elizabeth stood up to turn off the TV, and then it hit her. What if he came to look for her and Emma? Oh my God! What if he was to take Emma away from her? She couldn't let that happen. Emma was her whole life, without her she would die – she wouldn't have anything left to live for. Nothing! Elizabeth sank down on the couch again and felt like crying. Her eyes burnt and wanted the relief of tears, but she couldn't cry. She hadn't cried for as long as she could remember, that is since she had woken up in that motel somwhere out in nowhere, with no idea of who she was.   
  


****  
  
_Roswell, New Mexico_   
  
"What's the big emergency?" Sheriff Valenti asked.   
  


Max had summoned a meeting. It had been a long time since Max had last called a meeting. Everybody was there – Maria, Isabel, Michael, Alex, Kyle, Kira, and Valenti. Of course, Tess had not been invited.   
  


"So, why isn't Tess here?" Kyle asked, annoyed that Max had once again ignored Tess – who actually was a part of the group.   
  


"I don't trust her," Max said simply, as if that explained everything.   
  


"Oh," Kyle said. "So, it's like general knowledge just because you think so. What if she needs to hear this?"   
  


"She doesn't need to hear this," Michael said, defending Max. If it was something they agreed upon it was Tess.   
  


"Why's that?" Kyle asked, not letting the subject go. Those aliens shouldn't think that they could just do what they wanted to, and hurt other people's feelings in the process.   
  


"It's about Liz," Max said.   
  
Kyle looked at Max (all thoughts about Tess forgotten), trying to decide if he was serious or not. Oh yes. He was serious.   
  


"What do you mean? What's going on?" Kyle asked.   
  


"Kyle! I guess that's what we are here to find out," Valenti said, silencing his son. "Who's that, Max?" Valenti pointed at Kira, who kept himself on the fringes of the group, hidden in the shadows.   
  


"Yeah, that's what I want to know," Alex said.   
  


Max sighed and rubbed his forehead. Were they ever gonna get started or was this just how competent he was at running meetings?   
  


"Sit down everybody, and Max will tell you," Michael said, after having thrown a concerned look in Max's direction.   
  


Max shot Michael a grateful look before he began.   
"Okay, guys. About a week ago this man showed up outside my window. He said we – we the aliens that is – should summon a meeting and talk. He told us that he was our protector-"   
  


"What? I thought Nasedo was your protector," Alex said, already confused.   
  


Max shook his head. "No, Nasedo was a traitor-"   
  


"And we don't think he's dead," Kira spoke from the shadows. Everybody turned to look at him as he stepped out of his hidden place.   
  


"What do you mean?" Max asked, adrenaline starting to pump through his veins.   
  


"My men have reported that there have been traces of Nasedo all over Roswell-"   
  


"Of course, he was here for some time," Kyle interrupted.   
  


"-and they are very fresh," Kira continued, ignoring the interruption. He was still a little unclear to why Max had invited all these humans.   
  


"What does this mean?" Isabel asked.   
  


"Nasedo is a very dangerous man-"   
  


"Alien," Kyle mumbled.   
  


"-and when my men find him, he will be prosecuted for his crimes," Kira said.   
  


"Which means?" Maria prompted.   
  


"He will be executed," Kira said matter-of-factly.   
  


"Of course," Maria said, and turning towards the others. "What else would happen to him, right?"   
  
Max was pacing the floor. He did not like the fact that Nasedo was still out there. That he was still out there where Liz and Emma were as well.   
  


"Max, why are we here?" Alex asked, noticing how Max had totally spaced out on them.   
  


Max's head jerked up.   
"Right, right," he said. "Well, Kira told us that an heir had been born."   
  


There was a short pause as the others pondered the meaning of Max's statement.   
  


"What?!" Kyle said, almost yelling, when it became clear to him just what that meant. "Does that mean what I think it means?"   
  


Max nodded.   
  


"Shit, Max! Who have you slept with?! I thought you weren't interested in anyone with breasts since Liz died," Kyle said.   
  


"I wasn't," Max said, his voice calm and even.   
  


"Wha-" Kyle said, and then it him. "Was it with Liz?"   
  


Max nodded.   
"Ohhhkkkkaaaayyy," Kyle sighed and sat down.   
  


"You didn't think of using...I don't know – protection?!" Maria scolded.   
  


Max shook his head.   
  


"That's great. That's just great," Kyra mumbled.   
  
"But wait, how can there be a heir if Liz is dead? She would not have gotten the chance to give birth to a child," Alex said, not getting two and tow together.   
  


"Liz is not dead, that's what I've been telling you," Max said.   
  


The incident in high school four years ago came to Alex's mind.   
"So you could feel Liz giving birth?" Alex asked.   
  


Max, understanding what Alex was referring to, answered: "Yes, I think so."   
  


"Okay, that's really freaky," Maria said. Maria knew a little more, since she had actually met Liz's daughter. But she had yet to hear all the background information. When she had seen Emma she had been positive that it was Max's and Liz's daugther, but she had never really thought about how that was possible, what really had happened.   
  


"We've met her," Isabel said.   
  


"Met who?" Valenti asked.   
  


"Max's daughter. She looks just like Liz, but anyone can see that Max is the father," Isabel said, a proud I'm-an-aunt-to-that-beautiful-girl-smile playing in the corners of her mouth.   
  


"You've met her?" Alex asked in disbelief.   
  


"She's just so adorable," Maria said, smiling broadly.   
  


"You've met her too?" Kyle said accusingly.   
  
Kira quietly watched the whole group interact. They were natural around each other, but when Liz had came up everybody had tensed up – reminded of her absence to the group. However, when Liz's daughter had started to be discussed, everybody who had met her had a ridiculous smile on their faces. Even Max smiled a little – despite the fact that he was so worked up and worried at the moment.   
  


Maria nodded proudly as an answer to Kyle's question.   
  


"Well, did you meet Liz too?" Alex asked, wondering why no one had told him about the meeting with his former best friend. Was she dead?   
  


Max smile disappeared and the sadness returned.   
"No," he said, "she wasn't there."   
  


"It was a field trip, for kindergarten or something like that," Isabel explained.   
  


"As in no parents allowed...?" Kyle asked.   
  


"Right," Max answered. 

The group grew silent, thinking about a loving, warm and caring gril which they had all lost almost five years ago and the fact that she was alive, with a daugther. Max looked around the faces of the only people he trusted in the world. He realized that the meeting hadn't gone as he had planned. He wasn't sure if he had gotten out the most important information or not.   
  
"Look guys, that's why I called this meeting," Max said, and everybody looked up at him. "We have to find Liz."   
  


"You know where she is?" Alex asked, hope of seeing his friend sparkling in his eyes.   
  


"We know her surname and that she lives in Santa Fe," Max answered.   
  


"Then it's only a matter of time before we find her," Valenti said.   
  


Max turned to Valenti, his leader-mode kicking in.   
"And I want you to find her," he said to Valenti.   
  


Valenti nodded.   
"Sure, I get right on it," Valenti said.   
  


"I'll get my men on it too," Kira said.   
  


"Good," Max said, "but don't approach her if you find her. I don't want to scare her off. For some reason I think she's hiding, I mean, she has a different name and has told Emma's teacher that she's not to tell anyone anything about them. She might be very suspicious and...afraid...and...and I want to be there when we first approach her, is that clear?"   
  


"Yes, sir!" Kyle said, making a salute in an effort to lighten up the mood.   
  


Max smiled, some of the weights had been lifted from his shoulders. Now they had a plan, now they weren't only passively sitting by and watching any longer. Now they were going to find Liz. His knees suddenly went weak and he had to sit down. He was going to see Liz.   
  


TBC...


	16. Book 1 Chapter 17

Hi!

Sorry guys for taking so long to update, but RL went ballistic on me...

**Jo, Alex** and **BethluvMax** – thank you all so much for the feedback!!

**Chapter 17**

"Okay, are you sitting down, Max?" Valenti said in the other end of the line.

Max immediately knew that it had something to do with Liz. Only one day had elapse since their meeting, but finding a person when you had a surname and the name of the daughter was not really hard science. Especially not if you were a Sheriff, with resources.

Max took his advice and sank down on his bed.

"What's up?" Max asked, trying to sound very casual but failing miserably.

"We've found her," Valenti said.

Max exhaled the breath he wasn't aware that he had been holding. His hands were suddenly shaking, he felt like he was about to hyperventilate. That three such small words could cause such stir of emotions inside of him.

"Max, Max. Are you there?" Valenti asked, concern etching his voice.

"Yeah, yeah," Max said and tried to get his emotions back under control and start to breathe. In and out. That's right. That's how you breathe!  
"Are you okay?" Valenti's concerned voice asked.

"Yeah," Max said slowly. "Have you seen her?"

"No. I don't know about Kira's men, maybe they have. Perhaps you should discuss it with him."

"I'll do that," Max said.

"So are we going there?" Valenti asked.

Tomorrow was Saturday, it would be perfect to go there.

"Yeah, I'll tell Isabel and Michael...and perhaps Maria as well - she was her best friend. Can you fix with the rides, we're going to need two cars."

"Consider it done," Valenti said.

Max stepped out of the car and looked up at the building complex in front of him. This was it. This was where Liz lived, with their daughter. This was where Liz was breathing, sleeping, eating... He felt Isabel's hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Max?" she asked concerned.

Max nodded, although he was far from 'okay'. His emotions were running overload, he could not sort out one specific feeling. Name a feeling and he was experiencing it. He even found himself somewhat angry with Liz for hiding from them....from him. He couldn't understand why she hadn't contacted him, or told him that he had a child...or even why she just hadn't come home.

"Are you ready?" Isabel asked her brother.

Max nodded again, he did not trust his voice enough to talk. He was as ready as he ever could be. Maria was almost crawling out of her skin with anticipation. She too had very many emotions. As Max looked calm on the outside, Maria was showing exactly what she was feeling. She was practically jumping up and down, not able to contain herself. Michael, with a frim grip around her waist, was the only one who kept her from running down Liz's door.

"Let's go," Max said.

"About time," Maria said, and started walking...or running.

"Hey, slow down," Michael said sternly.

"For your information, I'm not slowing down," Maria half-shouted, but all stress she had experienced the last couple of hours were finally wearing her down and her anger was slowly turning into sobbing. "I just found out..where my best...best friend in the whole world is, so...no! I'm not slowing down! I love he-" She broke down sobbing and Michael took her in his arms, soothing her.

"Come on, let's go," Isabel said as Maria had calmed down somewhat. They climbed a flight of stairs and found themselves in a hallway that looked like a balcony, lined with several doors.

"Number 23," Isabel said. Max nodded. Like he would ever forget which number that led to his soulmate.

The seconds it took for them to reach door number 23 were the longest in Max's life. They all stood in front of the door, time standing still, only Maria's sobbing was heard.

"So is anybody going to knock, or what?" Michael said bluntly, being his normal self.

"Michael!" Isabel scolded. Michael just shrugged his shoulders.

"Max?" Isabel said dumbfounded, searching her brother's face. He was staring at the door, his face blank. To an outsider it might seem as if he didn't feel anything at all, but Isabel knew the turmoil of emotions that were right at this minute going on inside of him.

Max took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.

"Mommy, wab aw we gwoing to dwo twoday?" Emma asked around a mouth full of cereals, covered in Tabasco sauce.

"Emma, don't talk with food in your mouth," Elizabeth said.

"Sworry," Emma said, still eating. Elizabeth gave her a stern look.

There was a knock on the door. Emma and Elizabeth looked at each other, the surprise evident in their faces. However, Elizabeth's expression was mixed with slight horror. Who was that? No one ever knocked on their door, no one even visited them. Only the baby-sitters, but they hadn't hired anyone for today. While thousands of thoughts ran through Elizabeth's head, Emma was already up - heading for the door.

"No, Emma! Don't op-"

But she was too late. She heard the sound of the lock being unlocked by her daughter and then she heard a voice.

"Hi Emma," the voice said.

"MOOOMMMYYY!" Emma yelled, overjoyed about the visit. "It's daddy and Maria and..."

"I'm Isabel," the same voice said again.

"And ISABEL!" Emma continued.

Elizabeth was still in the kitchen, unable to move. They had found them...what was she going to do?

"Is your mom home?" the voice belonging to the woman called Isabel asked.

"Yes," she heard Emma answer. "MOOOOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY!"

She knew that she had to go out there, she couldn't just leave her daughter there with those strangers. She felt like she was moving in slow-motion. And then she found herself in the living room. There her daughter stood, looking up in admiration on a dark-haired man who stared intently at Elizabeth. Oh my God, it was him! But before she could react on it, a blonde-haired girl was running towards her, encircling Elizabeth in her arms.

_Two minutes earlier_

The door opened and there Emma was.

"Hi Emma," Isabel said to the girl who had excitement written all over her face.

"MOOOMMMYYY!" Emma yelled, obviously having forgotten to greet Isabel back in all the excitement. She was so excited to show her new friends to her mother. "It's daddy and Maria and..."

Isabel realized that she had never introduced herself.

"I'm Isabel," she said.

Emma turned around, yelling towards a room in the back which appeared to be the kitchen:

"And ISABEL!"

Max now had his eyes fixed on the doorway of the kitchen, waiting for Liz to appear. He knew that she was in there. He could feel her presence.

"Is your mom home?" Max heard his sister ask his daughter. She was the only one sane enough to speak. Maria was a bundle of nervous energy. Michael was busy holding Maria in place, and Max didn't know what to do. He had dreamt of this moment for so long - it was almost surreal to actually be here.

And then there she was. Max partly registered Isabel's gasp behind him. She looked so sick. She looked like...like one of those prisoners from the concentration camps in the Second World War that he had seen pictures of in history class. The clothes hung on her body, her cheek bones were extremely prominent and she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked like a ghost, a pale and washed-out version of the former Liz Parker. But Max still thought she was beautiful. It was her - it was really her. In those seconds as he stood there, watching her, he realized how much he had missed her - how much he still loved her, how much he would always love her. He didn't notice the tears that were running down his cheeks. All he could feel was his heart fluttering to life. Then Maria was out of Michael's grip and running towards Liz. Liz was staring at him, her eyes vacant and a little contemplating - like she tried to figure out who he was. Maria almost knocked Liz over as she took her long lost friend in her arms. Max saw how Liz closed her eyes, her forehead folded as if in deep concentration. But then Max saw how Liz winced and an expression of pain settled itself over her face.

The images were coming fast. Images of the girl who was hugging her. "She was my best friend," Elizabeth thought. The images started to come faster - too fast - and her head hurt. It felt like someone was trying to squeeze something inside her brain - there wasn't enough room for all the images, feelings and sensations.

"Maria," she heard his voice and tried to open her eyes. But the light was too bright - it stung her eyes.

Michael looked at Max as he heard him utter his girlfriend's name. His voice was a desperate plea and when Michael saw the agonized expression on Max's face, he stepped up to Maria and prized her off Liz.

"Maria, c'mere," he said. "Let's calm down a little."

As soon as Maria let go off Liz, Liz stumbled backwards ending up with her back against the wall, her eyes remaining closed.

"Liz?" Max whispered.

He could see tears starting to run down her cheeks and noticed that his vision was being blurred by his own tears.

She let go of her and the images stopped. She felt like she was falling and she stumbled backwards, soon feeling the wall push up against her back, supporting her slight weight.

"Liz?" It was his voice. It was so soft. So warm and gentle. So safe. And it was her name. She felt feelings of relief overwhelm her and for the first time in five years tears were filling her eyes, spilling over and running down her cheeks. She couldn't really place why she was feeling so secure, so relieved and so...loved. It was only instinct - natural.

Max didn't even know that he had moved his legs until he found himself in front of Liz. She was still keeping her eyes closed. He traced the journey of one of her tears with his eyes and lifted his hand to remove it. He hated seeing her cry. They both felt the jolt of electricty surge through their bodies at the touch, and then she was crying even harder.

"Liz..." Max breathed, mesmerized by the feeling of her skin under his fingertips. She brought up her hand and encircled it around his, which was now caressing her cheek.

"Max," she sobbed, and stepped into his arms. Max slipped his arms around her and held her tight, her sobs rippling through her whole body. She clenched the front of his shirt in her fists and her salty tears wet his shirt. She was standing so close to him that the next step would be to crawl inside of him. Max buried his face in her hair, his tears wetting her hair. She still smelled the same...a mixture of strawberries and Liz.

Michael held the crying Maria in his arms, while watching the interaction between Max and Liz. It really was Liz, a very much alive Liz. Even if she looked like a living dead. As soon as Liz had stepped into the room, there had only been her and Max - just like old times. The air around them seemed to sparkle, sizzle with electricity. They were now holding onto each other like the other would disappear if they let go. Michael closed his eyes and shook his head and then opened them again. Nope, it was no illusion, it still looked like they were one entity, not two separate individuals. He couldn't see where Max began and Liz ended. That's when Liz and Max were being surrounded by a silverish light.

"Michael..." Isabel said slowly.

"I think it's okay," Michael said, not wanting to interrupt.

She knew him. She knew his mind, his heart - his soul. She recognized his eyes, his voice, his smell, even the feel of him - his body - was so familiar to her. It felt like coming home. She had been lost for so long, but now she was finally safe. She wanted to stay there in his arms, forever. Images flashed by in her mind, but even though they were overwhelming, she welcomed them. She needed to feel all her old feelings, needed to go through all the old memories that had been kept hidden from her. She felt everything, she was in a sea of warmth and love. Her knees were starting to get weak, her tired body finally giving up. She knew that he wouldn't let her fall, she knew that her daughter was safe. She could give in. She could finally sleep.

Max felt her slump against him and the now familiar feeling of panic seized him.

"Liz?" He moved his right hand up to her neck, feeling after her pulse. It was there - weak, but there was a pulse. He let out the breath he had been holding. He couldn't lose her now, not now when he had finally found her again.

"Max, what's wrong?" he heard Michael ask.

"She fainted," Max said. "I guess this was all too much for her."

"Mommy?" Emma asked in a small voice.

"She's gonna be all right," Isabel said, "she has just fallen asleep. Your mommy was very tired."

Emma nodded, not really convinced because her mommy didn't feel asleep to her.

"Daddy will help her?" Emma asked. She had been watching how mommy hugged her daddy and her mommy had cried. But Emma knew that everything was all right. She felt that she had to leave them alone. She was a very smart and mature four-year-old.

Max held Liz close to his body with one of his arms, while he put his other arm in the hollows of her legs, lifting her slack legs off the floor and cradling her limb body against his strong chest.

"Emma," Max said.

"Yes, daddy," Emma said, immediately curious to what her daddy wanted.

"Where's your mommy's bedroom?" Max asked.

"Oh, oh," Emma said excitedly and started running into the direction of the kitchen. "I know, I know. I can show you!!"

"Great," Max said and smiled.

Emma opened the door at the end of the small hallway and entered with a proud expression on her face.

"Thank you, Emma," Max said and carried Liz over to the bed, carefully laying her down. She was sleeping so deeply that she didn't even move as Max reluctantly removed his arms from her body. 

Max extended his hand towards Emma and Emma took it without hesitation.

"Let's leave mommy alone for a while and let her get some rest," Max said.

"She's weal twied, huh?" Emma asked.

"Yes, she was really tired," Max said as they walked out of the room. Max closed the bedroom door slowly, careful not to make a sound.

"Why was she sad?" Emma asked and looked up into her daddy's eyes, her inquisitive eyes big.

"Uhm..." Max didn't really know what to answer to that, "she has been missing all her friends and she was happy to see us again."

"So they were habby tears?" Emma asked.

"Exactly," Max said and smiled as Emma grinned because she had been correct. They came out into the living room hand in hand.

Isabel was still standing by the door. Michael was sitting on the couch, with one arm looped around Maria's shoulder. Maria's eyes were red and puffy, but she had stopped crying.

"How is she?" Isabel asked as soon as Max and Emma stepped in, straightening up a bit.

"She's sleeping," Max answered.

"Mommy was cwying habby tears," Emma informed them all matter-of-factly.

"She sure was," Isabel said and smiled.

"Did you daddy also cwy habby tears?" Emma asked and looked up at her father. Max squeezed her hand and nodded.

"What are we gonna do today, daddy?" Emma asked.

Isabel took one look at Max's worn appearance and decided that he did not have the energy to go anywhere.

"Emma, what do you say about going to the zoo?" Isabel said.

Emma uttered a shout of joy, released Max's hand and started bouncing her way to the door. 

"Come on, daddy. We gonna see anibals!!" Emma said, excitement written all over her face.

Max opened his mouth to answer but Isabel beat him to it.

"Emma, daddy needs to rest too. He is also very tired," Isabel said and shot Max a warning look, warning him to say otherwise.

Emma's excitement disappeared and was replaced by disappointment.

"But can't you come, daddy? Pwwweeeeeeaaaaaaaasssseeeee," Emma begged, her beautiful small lips formed into a pout.

It was sure diffcult to resist her, but Isabel was too concerned about her brother's sanity to let herself be convinced by that little lady. 

"I-" Max started, having great difficulties in refusing his daughter, alredy showing the typical signs of a daughter-and-father relationship.

"No, Emma. Daddy's very tired. But I will come with, and Maria and Michael. We can feed the monkeys and we can even buy you an ice-cream if you want to," Isabel said.

Emma squeled in excitement.

"Jay!" she exclaimed, starting her bouncing all over again. Her disappointment vanished in her babbling about everything they could do at the zoo.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours, Max," Isabel said. "Rest now, okay." It was no question, but an order. 

Max nodded and smiled at the antics of his daughter as she was bouncing around, trying to make everyone hurry up, and with a 'bye, daddy' from his daughter, the door slammed shut and Max was alone - with Liz.

TBC...


	17. Book 1 Chapter 18

Hello!! My plans were to update a week ago, but I guess fanfiction.net had other plans. I'm sorry about that. It wouldn't let me update. But I'm here today...with a new part :D

Firstly though, I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the feedback! 

**BethluvMax**

**Amylou**

**Mysticvysqiyi**

**Laurie-Lee**

Burgandy Lily 

**Snohee**

And two **anonymous**... 

Thank you guys! It's because of you that I continue writing!!

**Chapter 18**   
  
Max stood there in the middle of the living room - in Liz's apartment. He let the silence fill him - flow into him through every pour. He tried to gather his thoughts and his feelings. It all seemed like a sweet dream, and he feared that he would soon wake up. He was not more than six meters away from Liz. He had felt her, he had been able to touch her, he had heard her voice speak to him, and it had been sweet music to his ears. He closed his eyes and listened to the silence, trying to get himself to grasp that the real world had for once given him a break. His feet took him to her bedroom door, and he slowly turned the doorknob and slightly opened the door. It creaked a little and Max winced as the sound ripped through the silence. His eyes sought out her still figure easily. She hadn't moved since he had left her. She was deeply asleep. He quietly entered the room, carefully closing the door behind him. There she was - like an angel sent from heaven. He moved to the bed, kneeling beside her. She was laying on her side, her legs pulled up into a fetal position.   
  
He traced her face with his eyes, letting her scent envelope him. The last time he had seen her, she had been a teenager, now she was a woman - a mother. A smile couldn't stop itself from tugging at the corners of his mouth when he thought about the fact that he was a father. That he and Liz had made a daughter together. He knew that she had changed in more than her appearance, that she was probably not exactly the same Liz he had known. He wasn't the same either. But he still recognized her. He recognized her aura that was uniquely her. He recognized her very essence in how she breathed, how her lips were slightly parted letting in the oxygen to fill her lungs. Nothing could ever changed that.   
  
He slowly lifted his hand to her face, tracing her cheekbone. It was more prominent than what he had remembered it to be. He moved his hand to gently brush over the bruises under her eyes, and sadness filled his heart. She had been all alone all these years - raising a daughter on her own. And something was definitely wrong with her. His eyes drifted over her fragile body. She was so thin - too thin. For not the first time, he wondered what was wrong with her. Was she sick? She looked extremely weak, the exhaustion was infested in every detail of her face. He traced the delicate lines on her forehead - lines of time and hardships - and marveled over the fact that her skin was just as soft as it always had been. How could skin be so silky? He tenderly moved his hand down the back of her nose, to lightly hover over her dry and parched lips. The lips that had been so lucently red and soft. He moved his lips to her forehead, intending only to leave a brief kiss, but his lips lingered at her soft and warm skin. He reluctantly pulled away, the taste of her skin still tingling on his lips.   
  
Liz moaned slightly as he moved away from her, and started to wiggle her body - her body unconsciously trying to seek his out again. Max sat back, watching her - his mind still not fully comprehending that he was here with her. Liz turned around, her back momentarily towards Max, before she turned again to seek out the calmness and familiarity his presence provided. She stopped moving, her body relaxed and peace settle itself over her face as she once again positioned herself facing Max. But Max was already raising from his position, having seen something on Liz's back, where her shirt had ridden up due to her movements, before she had turned towards him again. He slowly climbed up onto the bed and moved up behind Liz. He gently took a hold of the hem of Liz's shirt and pulled it upwards.   
  
He inhaled sharply as the appearance of her back revealed itself to him. Her back was not the soft, lean and porcelain texture he remembered. Her skin was whitish, and shiny - the texture inelastic. She had been burnt - badly. Her whole back was merely scarred tissue. But that was not the worst thing. In some areas of her back were water-filled blisters, and in others were open wounds - some as big as three centimeters in length. Max was slowly slipping deeper and deeper into his sea of guilt. He had not been there for her. She was obviously in pain every day, and he hadn't been there to help her. He swallowed - feeling sick, and pulled down Liz's shirt again.   
  
Liz started moving about again, and turned towards him. When she found what she was searching for, she sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to him. Max pushed all his feelings of self-blame and guilt away, and concentrated on the fact that Liz was here now. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her closer. She cuddled up against him, tucking her head under his chin, covering her face in his shirt. Max felt her warmth flow into him, and his body relaxed. Slowly he drifted off to sleep.   
  
***   
  
"...and he eat the peanubs," Emma's voice sifted into the living room as the front door opened.   
  


"The monkey sure did love those peanuts, didn't he," Maria said.   
  


Emma nodded fervently. Michael stepped up behind Emma and Maria, shopping bags dangling from his hands. He was never gonna go shopping with Isabel and Maria again. Now he knew why Max always said he had other things to do when Isabel asked if he could take her to the mall. Man! After the visit to the zoo Maria and Isabel had suddenly reached the decision that Emma was in serious need of new clothes. And they had to go into every store. And that was so cute, and that was so sweet, and that was adorable. With a sigh Michael sank down on the couch, not even possessing the energy to remove the shopping bags from his wrists. On top of that, the shopping demons (read Maria and Emma) had both agreed upon that Michael needed some new clothes as well. So against his will - and co-operation - he was now the new owner of one pair of pants and two shirts.   
  
  
Isabel snuck out of the living room to check on Max and Liz. She lightly knocked on the bedroom door. Hearing no reply, she carefully pushed it opened. She found them both sound asleep. Liz was snuggled close to Max, as if she was trying to crawl inside of him - shielding herself from the harsh and cold reality with his warmth and calmness. Isabel looked at her brother's peaceful face. He had not slept one entire night since Liz's disappearance, and Isabel realized that no medication in the world could have helped Max with his insomnia. Liz was his only cure. As Isabel looked at them, together again, she thought that once again everything was right in the world. Sure, they probably still had some issues to discuss, but as long as they were together again, there was hope.   
  
***   
  
"Are they still sleeping?" Maria asked Isabel as she came back into the living room after having checked up on Liz and Max for the second time. 

Emma had joined them in the bedroom too. Somehow Emma had been able to snuggle herself in between Max and Liz, and Isabel admired that little girl for being able to break the hold Liz and Max had on each other in their sleep. Max and Liz were now sleeping on their sides, facing each other and Emma laying on her back sandwiched between them - looking very content to have it like that. Max's and Liz's hands were clasped together, resting on Emma's belly.   
  


"Yeah, both must have been really exhausted," Isabel said.   
  


"Liz looks really sick," Maria commented, concern and fear evident in her voice.   
  


Isabel nodded, and turned to look at Michael who had positioned himself on the couch - the TV on.   
"I think we're going to have to think about the sleeping arrangements. It looks as if we're gonna have to stay here for tonight," Isabel said to Maria.   
  


"I'll take the couch," Michael said quickly.   
  


"Hey," Maria protested. "Who gave you that right?"   
  


"I said it first," Michael said simply.   
  


"Well, the last time I checked we were not in Kindergarten...but I begin to wonder," Maria retorted.   
  


"I deserve it 'cause I had to be a pack-ass against my will," Michael said.   
  


"Oh, how noble of you," Isabel said sarcastically.   
  


"Yeah, you're a true gentleman, Michael," Maria said.   
  
"Well, I try," Michael said and shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, I'm a man, and I need to get a proper night of sleep in a proper bed to be able to regain all my powers in order to save your asses if it's required, remember?"   
  


Isabel could practically see the steam coming out of Maria's ears.   
"Well, if you are such a man, then I think you should go and buy some sleeping bags," Isabel said, before Maria had the chance to start a fight with Michael.   
  


"I'm watching TV," Michael said, as if that was reason enough.   
  


"Michael..." Michael heard the warning note to Isabel's voice and looked up in time to see a small hint of the Christmas Nazi returning. Michael was quickly on his feet.   
  


"Okay then, I'll get those stupid sleeping bags. But then you have to do the woman thing, fix something to eat!" The door was closed behind him before neither of the women was able to yell at him for that sexist statement.   
  


Maria picked up the phone and threw it to Isabel.   
  


"Pizza?" Isabel asked.   
  


"Yes, and extra cheese for space-pig," Maria said.   
  


Isabel ordered the pizzas and then the women sank down on the couch, changed canal and waited for the food to arrive - ready to be eaten - like any other modern woman.   
  
***   
  
Max slowly drifted up to the fringes of consciousness. He felt a warm body pressed up against his. It all came rushing back to him as he noticed the small hand that was entwined with his. He slowly opened his eyes. The light of the morning sun was sifting through the window. He turned his head and his eyes fell on the two persons that meant more than life itself to him. Liz was facing him, her body close to their daughter who was positioned between them. They were both sound asleep. The covers were only partly covering Liz, since Emma evidently had tried to kick the covers off. Emma's cheeks were flustered, having been heated up by her parents' warmth. However, Liz looked cold. Due to the alien blood that flowed through his veins, Max was less receptive to cold than humans - and Emma probably had some of that as well. But as he cupped Liz's cheek with his hand he felt how icing cold her skin was. If he hadn't heard her soft and even breathing he would have feared the worst. He pulled up the covers over his two girls and rose to retrieve a blanket. If Liz was anything like the Liz he had known, she would have a blanket in the closet. On the top shelf of the closet, he found a blue and green blanket which he draped over Liz's body. With one last look at his sleeping family, he left the bedroom - closing the door quietly behind him.   
  
  
Isabel looked up at him as he entered the kitchen.   
"Morning, Max," she said with a smile. Max looked really relaxed, thoroughly rested. Some of the worry and sadness, that had became like an integrated part of him during the years of separation from Liz, had vanished.   
  


"Morning, Izzie," Max said and rubbed his hand over his eyes. "How long have I've been asleep?"   
  


"Well, dear brother...about twenty hours," Isabel answered, casting a quick glance at the kitchen clock. "You must have been really exhausted."   
  


Max just nodded - a little absent-mindedly - and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs.   
  


"You want coffee?" Isabel asked.   
  


"Sure," Max answered. He watched his sister as she poured coffee in a cup and placed it in front of him. She sat down across from him and searched his face.   
  


"Is Liz still sleeping?"   
  


"Yes," Max answered.   
  


"She looks really sick," Isabel said.   
  


Max guilty avoided her eyes.   
  


"What's wrong with her?" Isabel asked.   
  


"I don't know," Max whispered, the guilt and self-blame extremely prominent in his voice.   
  


Isabel worriedly searched his face.   
  


"Max, it's not your fault," she said.   
  
"I haven't been there for her," Max said.   
  


"You had no chance to do so," Isabel said. "She hasn't contacted you - you didn't know where she was."   
  


"But she's in so much pain," Max said. "Her-her whole back is burnt."   
  


Isabel's thoughts went back to what Max had told her about that night of Liz's 'death'. He had experienced an intense pain in the back, but Isabel had dismissed it to be the cause of the knife Liz's body had been penetrated with.   
  


"Is that what you felt?" Isabel asked.   
  


Max nodded.   
  


"I think so," he said.   
  


"But you can just heal her, right?" Isabel asked.   
  


Max nodded again, but Isabel could see that his mind was elsewhere. Something was really eating him up inside, and Isabel had a feeling that it was just not Liz's health condition.   
  


"Max, what's really bugging you?" she asked.   
  


"Nothing," Max said - starting to fiddle with his spoon in the cup of coffee.   
  


"I know you, Max. There's something else."   
  


Max took a deep breath, and then he looked up into her eyes.   
"She's blocking me," he said. "She's blocking our connection."   
  


"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.   
  


"I can't feel her," Max said. "I've always told myself that it was probably because she wasn't close to me - that there was too great of a distance between us. But that doesn't make sense any longer. I've been...close to her now for hours and I still is unable to feel her."   
  
They both jerked out of their reveries as they heard the bedroom door open.   
They looked expectantly at the entrance to the kitchen to see who was to appear. It was Liz, and she too looked as if some hours of sleep had been good for her.   
  


"Morning, Liz," Isabel said. Liz smiled softly, which warmed Max's heart.   
  


"Morning,," she said and walked into the kitchen.   
  


"You want some breakfast? Pancakes, cereals, coffee, tea..."   
  


Liz smiled at Isabel's enumeration.   
"Coffee would be great," she said.   
  


"Coffee it is," Isabel said and turned to pour another cup of coffee. Liz sat down on the chair next to Max. She looked up into his face, and she instantly was lost in his warm eyes. She timidly reached out and put her hand over his on the table. She had this need to constantly touch him.   
  


Isabel put down the cup in front of her.   
"There you go, Liz," Isabel said and sat down again.   
  


"Thanks," Liz said. "Why do you call me Liz?"   
  


Isabel's hand froze in the movement of taking a slice of bread and she stared at Liz.   
  


"That's your name," Max said, confusion in his voice as he looked at Liz.   
  


"I thought my name was Elizabeth," Liz said.   
  


"I guess it is," Max said, "but we've always called you Liz. Don't you remember?"   
  


Liz shook her head.   
Isabel felt lost.   
  


"What do you mean?" she asked.   
  
"I don't remember that my name used to be Liz, and I don't remember who you are," Liz answered, and Max felt unable to breathe.   
  


"You don't remember us?" he whispered. Liz squeezed his hand, and looked deep in his eyes - her eyes so familiar to him. She had always been able to look at him as if she saw right through him - saw him as the person he really was.   
  


"I remember you," she said in a low voice to Max.   
  


Isabel slowly lowered her hand, staring at the girl who Max had searched for so many years - and realizing that she hadn't really hid from him, she simply hadn't remembered him.   
  


"I think we have to talk," Max said.   
  
***   
  
Max closed the bedroom door to Emma's room behind him and watched Liz as she nervously walked around the room, picking up toys here and there - organizing them.   
  


"Liz, calm down," he said.   
  


Liz looked at him, and nodded.   
"Right," she said and inhaled deeply before she positioned herself on the edge of Emma's bed.   
  


Max looked at her, as she was nervously twitching her hands in her lap - staring down at the floor. She had no memory of them, which meant that she didn't know about his, Isabel's and Michael's true origin. She didn't know that her daughter was half-alien. He wasn't really feeling up to telling her once again that he was an alien. Been there - done that. It had not been the most pleasurable experience.   
  


"Do you remember anything at all?" Max asked.   
  


"I remember you," Liz said so softly that Max barely didn't hear her. "But only you as a person...not anything we've done or said."   
  


"You haven't remembered anything during these years?" Max asked.   
  


"I have gotten some glimpses...but it's only if I come into contact with something that reminds me of the past," Liz answered.   
  


"You don't remember anything...uhm...special about me..and Isabel and Michael?" Max asked, hoping that she would remember, so he didn't have to give her the shock of being a mother to an alien child.   
  


Liz looked up at him, confusion in her face. Max could see how she was searching her mind in order to truthfully answer his question.   
  


"No," she said honestly.   
  


"Okay," Max breathed. "Has anything...out of the ordinary..happened with Emma? Has she done anything that you couldn't quite explain?"   
  


Liz looked down at the floor again, and Max understood that Emma had done something.   
  
She couldn't tell him, could she? He would think that she was crazy...   
  


"Liz, just tell me," Max said, as if he could read her thoughts. Liz looked up into his eyes and the love and reassurance she found there gave her the courage to tell him. To tell him anything and everything.   
  


"One day she said that she had been in daddy's dream," Liz said, keeping her eyes locked with his. To her surprise he didn't even flinch - he didn't show any sign of being surprise by what she said or even thinking that she was delirious.   
  


"Anything else?" Max asked.   
  


"She....healed me," Liz said.   
  


"She healed you?" Max asked.   
  


"It's really stupi-"   
  


"No," Max interrupted. "It's not stupid - nothing about you could ever be stupid."   
  


A feeling of familiarity surged through her.   
"Have you said that to me before?" she asked.   
  


"I...I don't know," Max answered. "Maybe I have. Did you remember that?"   
  


Liz nodded.   
"It was like that when Emma healed my hand....there was this bright light and I remembered-"   
  


She stopped as she realized what she was about to say.   
  


"What?" Max asked.   
  


"Uhm...the night...of Emma's..uhm...conception," Liz answered.   
  


Max couldn't help but blush and he lowered his gaze to the floor.   
  


"I want to try something," he said slowly and raised his eyes to hers again.   
  


She nodded slowly. Max went up to the bed and sat down next to her.   
  


"I have to touch you," Max said. Liz felt the strangest feeling of déja vu and she nodded her permission. Max tenderly cupped her face between his hands. They both tried to ignore the electricity that momentarily cursed through their bodies at the contact.   
  


"Take some deep breaths, and let your mind go blank," Max instructed her.   
  
Liz calmed down her breathing, drawing deep breaths in and out. She felt her whole body relax, and then she felt as if she was falling. She felt herself being wrapped up in Max - in everything that was Max. She could feel all his feelings. Most of all happiness, relief and love. She felt as if her whole heart was beginning to warm up - thaw - returning to life. That's when the images started to flow through her mind. Max's memories. She saw a small brown-haired girl playing with a friend, and she realized that she was looking at herself. She saw herself growing up from a little girl, to a young woman through Max's eyes. Every flash was etched with admiration and love. The images changed and she saw herself laying on her back on the tile floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound in her stomach. She felt Max's panic as he watched her gradually lose hold of life. Liz watched him put his hand over the wound, and there was a bright light. When Max removed his hand the wound was healed. Then she saw the fear on her own face as Max told her that he was an alien, and she felt Max's sadness. Then the images started to come faster. Max and her kissing, Max telling her that they shouldn't be together - that it wasn't meant to be, Max kissing Liz the night he had been drunk. She experienced all the heightened feelings that they both had felt during those days in February before they found the orb. She re-experienced the desire that had surged through Max as she had lightly moved her fingers over his bare chest in Michael's apartment.   
  
Then there was fear...so much fear and panic as Max realized that Liz had been abducted by Nasedo. She relived his emotions during his captivity. She felt his confusion, his panic, his fear - fear for himself but mostly of anyone hurting any of his friends. She felt the pang of utter misery as Pierce had shown him an engineered image of her death. Then she was looking at herself in the van, feelings his longing for her. His love. The first time he had told her that he loved her. She found herself in the cave after Max, Isabel, Tess and Michael had received the message of their purpose here on Earth through the hologram. She felt Max's confusion and anxiety as she watched herself run away from him. She felt Max's loneliness when she was away during the summer in Florida. She felt how much he missed her. She experienced his pure joy and happiness as she returned to Roswell. But then she saw herself laying half-naked in her bed with Kyle, and she felt how his heart broke. That's when the feelings changed.   
She felt Max's suspicion towards Liz - initially not wanting to believe what his eyes told him was true. She felt Max's alienation as she was pulling further and further away from her. The flashes were penetrated with betrayal, and anger. But she could still feel the constant love in the background, but it was buried under all the dark confusing emotions. Then she felt him feeling worried about her as she was getting paler. She felt his love for her start to come up to the surface again as she saw herself standing outside his window in the middle of the night - in the pouring rain. And she gasped as the intense feelings of joy, happiness, gratitude, and love filled her when she accepted him back into her life.   
  
Then everything became a large blur of dark emotions. The feelings of agonizing grief and desperation devoured her. She could feel herself being pulled into a world so dark, so lonely - and she witness the cause to the gradual dying of his soul. She saw herself laying pale and cold in his arms. She saw his tears fall on her still body. She saw blood - on the ground, on his hands, in her hair. Then the images were coming faster again, but there was a lack of emotions attached to the images. It was as if there were no emotions left to experience. She only felt an overwhelming feeling of emptiness. Next she was in a church, surrounded with people she'd known more or less her whole life. Her parents, relatives, neighbors, people from high school...people she didn't even recognize. She was witnessing her own funeral. Then the images changed and she saw Emma. Several images of Emma started to flash through her mind, and they started to mix with images of her. With a gasp he pulled out of her mind.   
  
He leaned his forehead against hers, gathering his strength. It had taken a lot to send all those images and to keep the connection open for so long.   
  


"Max..." he heard Liz whisper, her voice cracking with emotion.   
  


He leaned back and looked into her eyes, and he knew. He knew that it had worked.   
  


"I remember," she said and wrapped her arms around him, holding him as close as she could. "God, Max. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."   
  


"It wasn't your fault," Max murmured, feeling how Liz was returning to him. The Liz he knew. His Liz.   
  


"I love you, I love you so much," Liz whispered, her voice filled with thousands of emotions.   
  


"I was dead without you," Max murmured, closing his eyes and let his senses be filled by her. Everything that was her. "I've missed you so much."   
  


He could feel her tears soaking through the front side of his shirt.   
  


"Liz? I need to heal you," Max said. He could feel her nod against his chest. She knew how much it meant for him to be able to do that for her. She knew that he was withering away under his own guilt, being devoured by his conscience for not being there for her....or Emma.   
  


Still in his arms, she began to take deep breaths, trying to calm herself down again from the intense trip on the emotional roller-coaster. She felt how he too started to relax against her. Then he was inside of her mind again.   
  
He felt her blood flow through his veins, her heart beating in unison with his. He felt the air flow into her lungs as if it was his, and then all the pain hit him. The wind was knocked out of him, and he had to concentrate really hard to push the excruciating pain far back in his mind and instead focus on her - on _their_ body. He searched her internal organs, finding the liver, the kidneys, the stomach, the heart, the lungs and the lympathic system to be damaged - slightly burnt. He continued to move to heal the external traces of her ill-health. He healed the bruises of her skin, and the open cuts that hadn't been able to heal properly on their own. Next he moved to the skin of her back. He started to heal the blisters and the open wounds - melding the skin together. He focused on the damaged epidermal cell layer of her skin, repairing it - repairing the damaged cell functions. He continued to look over the neural pathways connecting her brain to the rest of her body. He traced the nerves, seeing to it that they were not damaged. Finally, he checked her over and then he pulled out of her.   
  
They both shivered from the cold the withdrawal of the other's soul left them with. Liz put her arms around her body, in an effort to fight of the cold that was penetrating into her very bone.   
  


"Did it work?" Max asked, fearing the answer from the sad look in her eyes.   
  


She shook her head.   
  


Max closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. What was wrong? He had healed her, he knew he had.   
  


"I'm still having a headache, and the nausea is still there," Liz whispered.   
  


"I don't understand," Max murmured, and then he looked into her eyes.   
  


"Liz, pull up your shirt," he almost ordered her.   
  


"What?" Liz asked, confusion written all over her face.   
  


Max rose and sat down behind her instead, and she realized what he was doing. She took a hold of the hem of her shirt and pulled it upwards. Even though she anticipated his touch, she still inhaled sharply as he gently brushed his finger over the naked skin of her back. His hand was lightly moving across her skin, and she could feel the desire that had been buried deep inside of her for so long - awakening inside of her. A desire only his touch could bring forward.   
  


"Max?" she asked, as he didn't say anything. "How does it look?"   
  


"Fine....perfect," Max whispered, pain in his voice.   
  
"What's wrong?" Liz asked slowly. There was something he wasn't telling her. He pulled the shirt down again, covering up her now flawless skin and Liz turned towards him. He was staring at his hands positioned in his lap.   
  


"Why are you blocking me, Liz?" he asked, hurt etching his voice.   
  


"What do you mean?" Liz asked.   
  


Max looked up, and Liz was somewhat taken aback by the amount of emotion in his eyes. Especially the hurt.   
  


"I can't feel you through the connection," Max said.   
  


"Oh God, Max," Liz said slowly. "I haven't even thought about that. I can't feel you... I had no memory of the connection before...so that's probably why I blocked it."   
  


Max nodded, her words sinking in and the hurt in his eyes gradually vanishing.   
  


"Try to unblock it," he said, his voice encouraging.   
  


"I-I don't know how to," Liz said insecurely. "I never had to do anything to get the connection - one day it was just there."   
  


"Try to reach out for me," Max suggested, having no clue to what to do himself.   
  


Liz nodded and closed her eyes in deep concentration. She concentrated on him. The way he was looking at her, the way he softly caressed her cheek, the way he brushed the hair off her forehead, the way he looked into her eyes, the way he kissed her, his smile, his scent - everything that was him. Everything he meant to her. She tried for almost two minutes, but then she had to give up - unsuccessful in her efforts.   
  


"I can't," she whispered, her voice husky with exhaustion.   
  


He pulled her close up against him and she gratefully sank into his arms. They both held on to each other, both desperately trying to fight off the coldness and loneliness that threatened to overtake them.

TBC...


	18. Book 1 Chapter 19

_Thank you everyone for the sweet feedback!!_

**Chapter 19**   
  
"So, where's Max, Liz and Emma?" Maria asked as she was unpacking the groceries from the paper bag. 

  
"Emma's sleeping," Isabel answered as she relieved Michael from one of the bags. He was just standing there, an expression mixed with boredom, irritation, tiredness and hopelessness on his face, in the middle of the kitchen, two grocery bags dangling from one hand and three dangling from the other.   
  


"Maria, what did you do to Michael?" Isabel asked suspiciously.   
  


Maria turned to look at Michael.   
"Oh, he'll just have to get used to it! I guess he never has shopped more than three products at the same time when he has gone shopping. He'll get over it."   
  


"O-kaaay," Isabel said, unable to grin at Michael.   
  


"Don't start," Michael said menacingly.   
  


"I haven't said nothing," Isabel said, while burying her face in the refrigerator to hide the wide grin on her face.   
  


"Where _are_ Max and Liz?" Maria asked again, while filling the cabinets with sugar, cereals, etc.   
  


"They've been in Emma's room for about an hour - talking," Isabel answered.   
  


"Talking, huh," Michael chuckled. Maria turned around and slapped him on the arm.   
  
"Ouch, what are you doing?" Michael cried.   
  


"That's for you being an insensitive pig," Maria answered, and when seeing that Michael actually didn't get it she continued, "they've just found each other, do you think they will jump each other's bones the first thing they do?"   
  


"Well, yeah," Michael said as if it was a well-known fact, "we're talking Max and Liz here..."   
  


"Yes, we are. The two most controlled people I know," Maria said.   
  


"As I recall they have a daughter together," Michael said, "and I don't know if you missed those biology lessons, but you have to loose some major control-restrains to make a child, you know."   
  


"OOOOHHH," Maria exclaimed.   
  


"There is something I need to tell you," Isabel interrupted. But it was too late. Maria and Michael was already in one of their bickering contests.   
  


"Hey, quit it!! TIME OUT!" Isabel practically yelled, holding her hands in front of her in the form of a capital T.   
  


"What?" Michael huffed. He was just about to win the argument for once!   
  


"There's something I need to tell you," Isabel repeated.   
  


"Okay, shoot," Maria said casually, having had years of practice to calm herself down from 'talking' with her dense boyfriend. She was not as hyper as she once was....okay, she was still hyper but...right, she was about one percent less hyper.   
  


"I think Liz has suffered from amnesia all these years," Isabel said.   
  


"What?!" Maria said, already getting herself worked up again.   
  
"She didn't remember us, she didn't remember her old life, she didn't even remember her own name," Isabel said, "that's why she hasn't contacted us. She wasn't intentionally keeping herself hidden, she only wasn't aware that there was someone out there to contact."   
  


"Oh shit," Michael mumbled - finally putting the grocery bags down on the floor.   
  


"Oh my god, poor Liz," Maria mumbled. "What she must have been suffering. She must have been so lost. I can't even imagine how it would feel like to not remember anything - _anything at all _!"   
  
Just then they heard a door open, and Liz and Max walked in hand in hand. But as soon as Liz stepped into the kitchen, she was in Maria's arms.   
  


"God, I've missed you," Liz said, her tears streaming down her cheeks. Even though she actually couldn't _remember_ Maria, her whole being had unconsciously missed her.   
  


"I've missed you too," Maria said, herself crying, "I've missed your calm and your advice and I missed _you_! If we hadn't found you I had probably gone insane sooner or later being around your devastated boyfriend, ice-queen over there, and my oh-so-annoying boyfriend."   
Max watched the interaction between the two former friends with a small smile on his face. It was good to see those two together again. Even though Maria had tried to put up a brave face and act normal after Liz's disappearance from the group, she had not seemed the same. That fact had not passed Max unnoticed, even though he was pretty much lost to the world without Liz by his side.   
  


Liz left Maria's warm embrace and turned towards Michael, now sitting on one of the kitchen chairs.   
"Michael," she said, "c'mere! I've missed you to!"   
  


Michael hesitated a bit. After all these years, his ability to show affection hadn't really improved. Nevertheless, Liz had always been there for him - even though he had been very skeptical of her in the beginning. As he had seen it, she had tried to manipulate Max into leaving him. Michael could not let a simple human do that - he had only put his trust in two people and that was Isabel and Max. After a while he had started to like that small woman with the warm big heart, and when she had died (even though he hadn't admitted it to anyone) he had grieved just as much as everyone else....well, except Max then - whose grief was something in its own category. Max had done him a favor that day when he had healed Liz. By his decision to tell Liz their secret, Max had opened up their closed-up existence to a real life, with real friends. Friends Michael would now die protecting just as much as he would die protecting Max or Isabel.   
  
Michael rose and stepped up to Liz, capturing her in a big bear hug.   
  


"Thank you for taking care of Maria for me," Liz whispered in his ear - only for him to hear. Michael swallowed and had to concentrate not to let the emotions get the upper hand. Why did Liz always do that? It was like she could see right through him, and she didn't care that he put up a tough exterior because somehow she could see the real him.   
  


"I'll do anything for her," Michael said, his voice low. The emotional touch to his voice wasn't unnoticed by Liz. Michael cleared his throat (in order to free himself of all the uncomfortable feelings - uncomfortable because he never knew what to do with them) and stepped out of Liz's embrace.   
  


"So, where's Alex?" Liz asked, missing her best male girlfriend.   
  


"He's in Roswell, holding the forts," Isabel answered.   
  


"As always," Liz smiled.   
  


"So, Liz. What's this I hear that you forgot about us?" Michael said, his mask put back into place quickly, effectively hiding the feelings Liz had felt radiating from him a couple of seconds earlier.   
  
Liz smiled at him. She knew how much Maria had always meant to him, and she had a hunch that she meant more to him now than ever. But in so many respects he was still the Michael she once knew. Somehow she was comforted by that. It was almost as if she could pick up where she left off...no, that wasn't going to be quite that easy. _She_ had changed a lot. She had a child now and she had lived a hidden life in the dark for five years. Even though it didn't at the moment seem as if her friends had changed at all, she knew that they too had changed. As she thought about it, her smile faltered. She had missed so much of her friends' life. In theory they should probably be strangers by now.   
  


Michael watched the emotions play over Liz's face. She always had such an expressive face - showing almost exactly what she felt.   
"Liz...?" Michael asked, worried that he had upset her with bad memories or something.   
Liz jerked out of her dream world and found the concern faces of three of her best friends in the world looking at her. "However," Liz thought to herself, "we had something unique, and we were bond in a way that will not be separated by some years of absence. We will survive."   
  


"Sorry," Liz said and smiled again, "I just spaced out, I guess. I'm not used to all this people here. It's usually only Emma and I here."   
  


"What really happened five years ago?" Maria asked.   
  
Liz inhaled deeply and sank down on one of the chairs. She knew that the questions would come sooner or later. She had hoped that it would be later.   
  


"Uhmm, well...I'll just take it from the beginning...But it will be easier if you wouldn't interrupt me okay?" She was met by three persons nodding their heads in agreement.   
  


Liz took another deep breath.   
"Okay..." She hadn't had the time or opportunity to think this through herself. She had just remembered what had happened. She had never gotten the chance to process it..."I kept having these nightmares...five years ago. They started about two weeks before...uhm..the attack. My nightmares were always about the same thing. I was walking home...and it was night...and dark...and cold...and...and...and then Max was there but I knew that it wasn't really him. There wasn't anything Max about him, except his appearance that is." 

"This...uhm...person..wanted to follow me home, but I kept trying to assure him that I was fine, that I could get home on my own. I really didn't want to walk with him. But he kept insisting and I thought that if I agreed there would perhaps be a pedestrian who would spot us and I could ask for help or something, I hadn't really thought it through. Then everything happened so fast. He...eh...pushed me into an alley and tried..tried...to k-kiss me and I pushed him away and we...uhm..fought a while and then I got away and started to run and that's when I fell and he was over me. I felt his hand on my back and then...I was...being burned alive," Liz swallowed hard to force down the sobs that threatened to come, "and then I woke up. The dreams felt extremely realistic, more like a warning of the future than a dream-"   
  
"Liz, why didn't you tell me? I could've hel-" Max began, his voice filled with guilt.   
  


Liz held up her hand to silence him.   
"Max, please. Don't interrupt, okay?"   
  


Max just nodded, his thoughts occupied with everything he could've done to prevent Liz from being separated from him and her best friends in the first place. Liz searched his face and knew that he was beating himself up. He was still her Max - blaming himself for something _she_ had decided not to tell him.   
  


"Anyway," Liz said, "the day of my attack I was feeling really jumpy - paranoid. All my feelings were running high and I just knew that something was about to happen and still I messed up. I had all these warning signs going off around me - I even felt weird when Tess stepped in and I've never trusted Tess anyway." Liz felt Max tense up at the mention of Tess.   
  


"What are you saying?" Maria asked. "Was Tess involved in this somehow?"   
  


"I'll get to that," Liz said and tucked a strand of hair that didn't exist behind her ear (everything that could be tucked behind her hair had already been done so). A classical sign that she was nervous and was getting agitated. "That night I had been at Maria's and I was heading home. Maria offered that I could stay the night - but it was as if some weird force dragged me out of that house even though every fiber of my being resisted. I had only walked a few meters when I met him and my dream started to repeat itself-"   
  


"Oh my God," Maria whispered, putting up a hand in front of her mouth.   
  


"Even though I tried to change what I said and by that hoping that I would change the whole chain of events, nothing was working. We always seemed to get back to the dream-conversation. If I tried something new it was as if the conversation took a detour only to return again. That's when I reached for Max-"   
  
"Ehh..what?" Michael said, totally confused by the whole story Liz was telling them.   
  


"You know, like I did when Max was in New York," Liz said.   
  


"But that was with me," Isabel said.   
  


"I've apparently become stronger," Liz said and shrugged. As she continued she kept her eyes glued on Max's face. Even though she lacked the connection she knew that it was really difficult for him to hear all this - to go through it again. She had to stay strong, for his sake.   
  


"I told him where I was-"   
  


"Wait. You told him?" Isabel interrupted. "But last time Max couldn't hear you."   
  


"I guess I was strong enough to do that too," Liz said. "But it was really difficult and it took a lot of energy. I just wanted to tell him my whereabouts - and the most important things that he needed to know." Max knew what she was talking about. The fact that she had practically told him goodbye in her final words 'I love you'."   
  


"The last thing I-I-I remember is..uhm...falling to th-th-the ground and...dying," a sob escaped her.   
  
Max was at her side in a fraction of seconds, kneeling by her chair and taking one of her hands in both of his. Liz smiled at him gratefully.   
  


"You don't have to tell us everything today," Max said.   
  


Liz shook her head.   
"No, I need to tell you this now," she said.   
  


Max nodded in understanding. He focused on Liz and tried to pour love and support through the connection. But as before he only encountered the stone wall. Liz had felt his love and support - even though she didn't feel him through any connection. She saw as he slumped together, failure written over his countenance. Liz turned towards him and put her free hand on his cheek.   
  


"Max...thank you," she said softly.   
  


Max looked up at her surprised.   
  


"How do you think that other couples help each other?" Liz asked, a smile grazing her features. "Even though I can't feel you through the connection I can still _feel_ you. I don't need a connection for that."   
  


Max smiled at her, his heart swelling from the words from this incredible woman.   
  
"What about Tess?" Maria asked, trying to get Liz's attention before she lost herself in Max's eyes. Liz eyes left Max's face and drifted to hers.   
  


"Tess was there that night...helping Nasedo," she answered.   
  


"What?!" Isabel and Michael said in unison. Max was taking deep breaths, trying to subdue the anger. This was not the right place to lose it.   
  


"Liz...Nasedo's dead," Isabel said. "He was killed by the skins, remember? And then when we tried to heal him with the healing stones he crumbled to dust."   
  


"I don't know how it's possible," Liz said. "I just know that it was Nasedo there that night, trying to kill me."   
  


"Why didn't he kill you?" Michael asked bluntly.   
  


Maria shot him a deadly glare, and Michael hurried to explain himself.   
"I mean..Nasedo can easily kill in a matter of seconds, why did he fail to kill you?"   
  


Liz looked directly at him and Michael once again felt as if she was looking straight through him.   
  


"I think he didn't want to kill me...The fact that I knew what was going to happen from my dream sort of ruined their plans," Liz answered.   
  


"Then what did they want to do?" Max asked.   
  


"I don't know," Liz said.   
  


"Perhaps rape her," Michael said simply, turned towards Max.   
  


Max flinched at the statement and took a tighter grip on Liz's hand.   
  
"Why?" Liz asked, her voice thin.   
  


"He was impersonating Max, right?" Michael said and continued as Liz nodded. "And when we found you-"   
  


"Wait. You found me?" Liz asked confused.   
  


"I guess that was a mindwarp that bitch made us believe," Maria said. "Max found you dead in the alley and later the coroner said that you had been raped before you was murdered. Perhaps Tess came up with that little fact just because it had been a part of the plan. That gerbil was never known for her imaginative skills."   
  


Liz looked at Max and found tears pooling in his eyes. She reached over and put her arms around him. He clutched her to him tightly, as if trying to assure himself that she was really there.   
  


"It's okay, Max. That didn't happen," Liz whispered.   
  


"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Max murmured repeatedly.   
  


"No, Max," Liz hushed. "It wasn't your fault. Tess and Nasedo pulled a number on all of us."   
  


"At least we can be happy that their plan didn't quite work out," Maria said.   
Liz nodded against Max shoulder.   
  
"But what happened later...when you woke up?" Michael asked. Liz reluctantly pulled away from Max. Everything was slowly catching up on Max. Everything that had happened the last couple of days, everything that had happened the last time he had seen Liz. Liz softly smothered the tears away from his cheeks and laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand. Then she turned to Michael, ready to tell them all about what her life had been like since they were separated.

TBC...


	19. Book 1 Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**   
  
Liz clasped Max hand more firmly. They were both holding onto each other for support.   
  


"The next thing I remember since becoming unconscious was waking up in what seemed to be a motel room. At first I was really weak, so I just laid there and tried to gather my strength. Occasionally Nasedo and Tess would come in and talk. I couldn't figure anything out since I couldn't remember anything of what had happened. But now I'm certain that they were talking about you, Max." Liz looked at the love of her life. "Obviously Tess was trying to take my place."   
  


"No kidding," Maria said and snorted. "She must have consumed lip balm like an addict as an effect of her lips getting completely parched from all the ass-kissing."   
  


"She's been on Max's back ever since...well, your funeral," Isabel clarified.   
  


"But too bad for her, Max wasn't the least bit interested," Maria said.   
Liz nodded.   
  


"I remember how frustrated Tess was that things weren't going her way. I'm not quite sure why they wanted you though."   
  


"Isn't that obvious," Maria said. "That bitch has always had some problems taking rejections and she probably just wanted Max to herself as her personal sex slave or something."   
  


"Maria, please," Isabel pleaded. "That's my brother you're talking about."   
  


"So? It's not like there's any chance of that happening now, is there?" Maria asked casually, shrugging her shoulders.   
  


"No, but that doesn't keep me from getting those really weird images in my head of Tess and Max 'playing' together," Isabel said, the disgust evident in her voice.   
  
"Okay, I'm I the only one a little uncomfortable with this subject?" Max asked.   
  


Liz smiled at him.   
  


"Anyway," she said, in order to save Max from the present conversation. "One day they left the door unlocked-"   
  


"They did?" Maria asked incredulously. "Some nerds they are!"   
  


"-and I escaped," Liz continued. "I was so tired, but I was afraid that they would come after me. I didn't have the courage to walk along the road, where it would've been easier to walk, so I walked across the desert until I saw a bed and breakfast a mile away. The man there and his mother took really good care of me. I got food, but I still paid for it-"   
  


"How did you do that?" Michael asked.   
  


"I had stolen some cash from Nasedo at times, and fortunately he never noticed," Liz answered.   
  


Maria shook her head.   
  


"Wow, leaving the door unlocked _and_ leaving money without noticing some of it disappeared...They really weren't professionals, right," Maria said sarcastically.   
  
"The mother of the man who owned the bed and breakfast was really sweet," Liz said and smiled at the memory. "She gave me some clothes which once belonged to her daughter. That's how I found out that my name was Elizabeth. Her daughter's name was Elizabeth and when she told me I just knew that Elizabeth was my name. That's what I've called myself since then. It was also that old woman who told me that I was-I was pregnant."   
  


"You didn't know?" Isabel asked incredulously.   
  


Liz shook her head.   
  


"I couldn't remember anything and I was just the same feeling sick every hour of the day," Liz answered. "I never suspected anything. If I had...uhm...remember some things...," referring to the night of Emma's conception, "...I would perhaps have suspected it, but I didn't. I couldn't remember where I was from, how my parents looked like, how my...friends looked like. I didn't even know if I had any friends or family. For all I knew, I could've been a wanted criminal, kidnapped by enemies when trying to flee."   
  
"But you weren't - you had friends waiting for you, missing you like hell," Maria said, her voice filled with sadness and hurt.   
  


"I'm sorry, Maria. I would've come home immediately if I had remembered. I've always known that I was safe as long as I was with you."   
  


"But you weren't," Max said, "we let you get hurt. We let them rip you away from us."   
  


"Even you can't prevent everything bad from happening," Liz said. "Stop beating yourself up, Max. That's in the past...and it's more important to see what we are going to do now. Now I've found you again - or _you_ found _me_ more precisely - and we will get through this."   
Maria watched her best friend and was amazed by the fact that even though Liz looked completely shattered to the exterior, the stubborn strong willed Liz Parker shone through brightly. That streak was probably what had saved her from laying down and dying.   
  


"How did you find me?" Liz asked. "I've taken so many precautions to keep anyone from finding me...and it scares me that it was so easy to find me. I was lucky enough that it was _you_ who found me first."   
  
"It was Emma," Maria said. "You had to be blind to not see that she's a splitting image of her mother, with her father's eyes."   
  


Liz nodded, a smile spreading in her face - a mother's pride of her daughter shining through.   
  


"Those eyes always held a certain meaning to me. From the first time Emma opened her eyes they struck a cord inside of me - it's weird that I didn't know right then, that I didn't remember you, Max."   
  


Max squeezed her hand, assuring her that it was okay.   
  


"We sort of got some information out of the teacher," Michael said, turning back to the previous topic at hand.   
  


"You did?" Liz said, her voice hinting some trace of fear. "I specifically told her not to give out any information."   
  


"Well, it was not good at all that she did," Isabel said. "But it was pretty good for us that she did, wasn't it?"   
  


Liz nodded - she had to admit that even though the teacher had broken her trust, she felt more like thanking her than punishing her.   
  
"After that it was easy," Max said. "We only had your surname, but we also knew Emma's name." Liz momentarily closed her eyes to repress the dizziness that was putting its claws in her.   
  


"Liz?" Max asked, worried.   
  


Liz gathered her strength and opened her eyes.   
  


"I'm fine," she said. "I just need to...lie down for a while."   
  


"What's wrong?" Max asked.   
  


Liz drew her hand out of Max's grip and stood up. The room spun and she put her hand on Max's shoulder for support.   
  


"Liz?" Maria asked. Liz didn't look so good. She was pale...well, paler than before.   
  


"I'm fine, I'm fine...I just....Max, can you help me?" Liz asked, but Max had already decided to help her even if she wanted it or not.   
  


"Sure," he said, rising from his kneeling position beside Liz's chair and putting an arm around her small waist. Liz felt her body instinctively relaxing as she felt the side of Max's body and his strong arm around her waist. She leaned into him, letting him support most of her weight - which Max didn't mind at all.   
  
"I'm sorry, guys," Liz said.   
  


"Stop it, Liz," Maria said. "You need to rest, and you don't need to apologize because of it!"   
  


Liz smiled weakly.   
  


With the kitchen behind them, Max spoke to Liz:   
  


"You're feeling sick, right?" he asked.   
  


Liz hesitated for a few seconds and then nodded.   
  


"I'm feeling dizzy...but it's pretty normal-"   
  


"That's not normal," Max said as he slowly opened the bedroom door.   
  


"It's normal to me," Liz said, her voice a little lower as they stepped into the bedroom, where Emma was still sleeping in the bed.   
  


"I'm so sorry that I couldn't heal yo-"   
  


"Max, stop it! If you apologize one more time, I'm going to yell at you," Liz said. "Nothing of this is you're fault. You did everything you could. I've learned to live with this sickness. But now you're here - supporting me, and it can never be that bad as it has been ever again."   
  
Max smiled warmly at her and reluctantly released the grip around her waist to allow her to lay down on the bed. Emma instantaneously curled up to her mother and Liz put an arm around her daughter, holding her close. Max took the blanket (which Emma in her sleep had kicked to the floor) and spread it out over his small family. He leaned down and kissed Liz lightly on the forehead. At the contact of his lips on her skin, Liz closed her eyes as thousands of emotions rushed through her. It felt as if time stretched out, and then his lips left her skin.   
  


"Get some sleep," Max said softly.   
  


Liz opened her eyes and the turmoil of emotions inside of her only allowed her to nod.   
  


Max couldn't stop himself from tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. He had this deep need to touch her. His fingers lingered at the side of the soft skin of her cheek. The touch of his fingers left a warm tingling feeling where they had touched, when Max removed them. Max smiled a little self-consciously.   
  


"I'm just gonna..." Max said as he pointed at the bedroom door and Liz smiled.   
  


"Yeah, you do that," she said.   
  


"Okay," Max said and had to gather all his strength to get his feet to leave the room.   
  
  
"What do we do about Tess?" Michael asked. "She hopefully doesn't know that we know."   
  


Max clenched his fists tightly at the side of his body. "I know exactly what I wanna do with her," Max thought.   
  


"Should I kill her for you?" Michael asked, not being completely serious. But as Max looked up in his face and Michael found himself staring into Max eyes, he doubted that his humorous touch to the statement had fulfilled its purpose. Michael had seen a lot of emotions in Max's eyes - but he had never seen what he saw there now. Max's eyes were dark with hatred - pure hatred and anger for the people who had made Liz suffer.   
  


"Uhm..Max, I was sort of joking," Michael said.   
  


Max flinched, seemingly jerking out of his thoughts.   
  


"Yeah Michael, I know," he said and the intense emotions were deliberately removed from his eyes. But Max's stance still held much anger. Max took a deep breath in order to be able to think rationally again.   
  


"I guess the best thing is to act normal. That would make us one step in front of her. She would not be suspicious of us, and we can monitor her and find out what her intentions are. We have to be very careful what we say to her - she's dangerous."   
  


Michael nodded.   
  


"Sooner or later, she messes up," Michael said. "And that's when we get back at her, right?"   
  


"I don't want neither Liz nor Emma anywhere near her," Max said, his voice determined.   
  


Michael nodded. He watched as Max rubbed his forehead - a movement that he had done millions of times since all hell broke out, namely since Liz was taken from him. "Maybe we should keep you away from her as well," Michael thought, as he watched how Max obviously was trying to get his iron control back. Michael didn't trust that Max wouldn't strangle Tess the moment he saw her.   
  
  
Emma yawned and blinked with her eyes in the bright light. She turned her head and saw that mommy was sleeping beside her. Emma was just about to wake her mother as she heard voices outside the bedroom door and the events of the previous day came rushing back to her.   
She pulled the blanket off her, accidentally pulling some of the blanket off her mother as well. But she was already too excited to get out to the living room to notice. She climbed out of the bed and stretched up on the tips of her toes to be able to reach the door handle and open the door.   
  
"But something is wrong with her," she heard Max's voice - her _daddy_ - say.   
  


She found her daddy standing beside the couch in the living room, speaking into the telephone. She didn't see that funny blonde girl...uhm...Maria or..uhm... Isabel anywhere. Not even Michael who she had gotten to give her a piggy-ride at the zoo.   
  


"I'm sorry, your Highness," Kira said at the other end of the line.   
  


"Max...it's only Max," Max said tiredly. Why did they keep calling him that?!   
  


"Max," Kira said apologetically. "We don't know why she's ill - we don't know much about human diseases."   
  


Max rubbed his forehead and sighed. This was leading nowhere! As he let his hand fall to his side again something soft and warm captured it. He turned his head and saw Emma standing there - her face etched with concern, his hand clutched in hers. He felt a feeling of calmness flow into him, and he relaxed remarkably.   
  
"Uhm..can't you find anything? Don't you have men in health facilities or something?" Max asked as he smiled at his daughter.   
  


"As we never get sick we haven't felt the need to infest ourselves in health compartments and organizations," Kira answered.   
  


"Of course," Max sighed. "But perhaps it's not human, perhaps it's alien."   
  


"But you said that she was one hundred percent human," Kira said.   
  


"Well, maybe she's not one hundred percent human any longer," Max said.   
  


"Daddy?" Emma's small voice made Max turn his head towards her again.   
  


"Not now, Emma," Max said softly.   
  


Emma started biting on her bottom lip somewhat nervously.   
  


"Who was that?" Kira asked suspiciously.   
  


"That was...my daughter," Max answered.   
  


"The heir?" Kira asked, his voice a little warmer.   
  


"No, my daughter and she has a name. Her name is Emma," Max said.   
  


"Yes, Emma," Kira said.   
  
"Daddy?" Emma said again, now tugging on the bottom of his shirt.   
Max covered the speaker with his hand and kneeled in front of Emma.   
  


"What is it, Emma?" Max asked.   
  


"I-I need to pee," Emma said.   
  


Max just stared at her. Had she just said what he thought she said?   
  


"Uhm..can't you do that on your own?" Max asked.   
  


Emma shook her head.   
  


Max took a deep breath.   
  


"Okaaay," he said as he exhaled and removed the hand from the speaker.   
  


"Look, Kira. I need to go."   
  


"What's going on?" Kira asked.   
  


"Uhmm..nothing- nothing important," Max said. "I'll call you later!"   
  


"Okay, sir," Kira said and Max couldn't help to roll his eyes as he put down the receiver. This 'your Highness'-thing was really starting to get on his nerves.   
  
Max put the receiver down and turned to his daughter, who was clutching her knees together, bouncing a little on the place.   
  


"Uhmm...let's see if we can find your aunt Isabel here somewhere," Max said and took Emma's hand, leading her to the kitchen. To his horror, the kitchen was empty.   
  


"Where is everyone?" Max mumbled. They had been here a minute ago.   
  


"Daddy? I weally need to go potty," Emma said.   
  


"I know, honey," Max said. "Just hold on a second."   
  


Just then Maria stepped into the room.   
  


"Maria!" Max exclaimed, his voice not being able to hide the relief.   
Maria eyed the scene in front of her. Max looked nervous and scared, while Emma was holding his hand looking very much in the need...of a toilet.   
  


"Emma needs to-to use the toilet, could you take her?" Max said.   
Maria grinned broadly.   
  
"Actually Max, I have other things to do," Maria said, feeling up to see Max beg.   
  


"Please Maria. I-I-I need to call-call Alex," Max said and winced at his own lame excuse.   
  


"You can't do that later?" Maria asked, arching her eye-brow.   
  


"It's _really_ important," Max said meekly.   
  


"It will probably only take thirty seconds or so," Maria said.   
  


"Daddy, please hurry," Emma said, her small voice strained.   
  


Max helplessly looked from his daughter to the gloating Maria.   
  


"Maria, please," he practically begged.   
  


Maria made a big deal out of showing how much she was contemplating the whole thing.   
  


"All right," she said and took Emma's other hand, "but you, girlfriend, owe me big time."   
  


Max nodded, relieved, and released Emma's hand.   
  


"Okay, honey. Let's go on the potty," Maria said and let herself be led away by a very-much-in-hurry four-year-old towards the bathroom.   
  
Max sank down on the couch. Wow, this fatherhood was really..tricky. He would definitely let Liz take care of those...tricky situations...   
He lifted the receiver again and pressed the re-dial button.   
  


"Yes?" Kira answered after the second ring.   
  


"It's me," Max said.   
  


"The situation taken care of?" Kira asked.   
  


"Yes," Max said. "Have you found something out?"   
  


"None of my men know anything," Kira answered. "But you said that Liz wasn't completely human."   
  


"Well, something might have changed in her when I healed her," Max explained.   
  


"Right, the healing," Kira said slowly, as he contemplated this. "Maybe that's what's making her sick."   
  


A feeling of cold spread inside Max. That was one of his worst fears. That who he was could hurt her....even kill her.   
  


"What do you mean?" Max asked, his voice strained.   
  


"We don't know the effects of a healing on a human. Actually, healers - of your ability - are very rare."   
  


"How's that?"   
  


"We all have different abilities - gifts."   
  
"But aren't all our gifts completely human?" Max asked confused.   
  


"Did Nasedo tell you that?" Kira answered.   
  


"Yes," Max answered.   
  


"He didn't tell you the whole truth. Your gifts are human, but they all have an alien basis."   
  


"Please elaborate," Max said, once again rubbing his forehead.   
  


"In your other life, you were a healer, Michael was a warrior, Isabel was a dreamwalker, and Tess was a mindwarper. The human mind has an immense capacity, that humans haven't even begun to comprehend yet. You were able to plug in on the right areas of the human mind to be able to use your natural gifts again."   
  


"Okay," Max said, slowly digesting the information. "What does this have to do with Liz?"   
  


"As I was saying, we don't know much about the consequences of the healing of a human - actually, we don't know anything about it. You might have changed the molecular structure of specialized cell functions. Cells might start to send out false signals in her body, causing the breakdown of her health that you mentioned."   
  


Max was feeling nauseous. When he had thought that he was saving Liz from that gunshot-wound he had in fact started a process inside of her that was slowly killing her.


	20. Book 1 Chapter 21

**Mysticvysqiyi – **Your name is really difficult to spell... :) Thank you so much for the feedback!!!

**Chapter 21**   
  
"I-I have to go," Max said into the receiver.   
  


"Well...okay," Kira said, his voice etched with insecurity.   
  


Max put down the receiver and sank back in the couch.   
  


"Daddy, daddy," Emma cried and jumped up onto the couch, bouncing beside Max. "I'm finished."   
  


"That's good, honey," Max said, his voice emotionless.   
  


Maria, walking in behind Emma, took one look at Max and knew that something was wrong.   
  


"Emma, why don't you go and see if you can find some ice-cream in the freezer," Maria said.   
  


"Yay!!" Emma yelled and bounced up and down on the couch before hopping down and running towards the kitchen.   
  


Maria kneeled in front of Max.   
  


"Max, what's wrong?" Maria tentatively asked. "Oh no, is something wrong with Liz?"   
  


Max looked at Maria and slowly - like a zombie - nodded his head.   
  


"What?" Maria said, fear spreading throughout her whole body.   
  


"I've killed her," Max murmured, oblivious to how that really sounded.   
  


"Max..." Maria said slowly, her voice slightly trembling, "what are you saying?"   
  


"When I healed her, I probably triggered the process that is going to be her death," Max said, his voice empty.   
  
"Who told you this?" Maria asked.   
  


"Kira."   
  


"Is he sure?" Maria asked.   
  


Max shook his head.   
  


"But then you can't blame yourself," Maria said.   
  


"She's sick and I couldn't heal her," Max said. "I can heal all human diseases."   
  


"You couldn't heal grandma Claudia," Maria pointed out.   
  


Max sadly nodded his head.   
  


"Yes I could, but it wasn't meant to be."   
  


"But we don't know for sure what's wrong with her," Maria said. "Maybe Nasedo did something to her."   
  


"She was sick already before Nasedo attacked her, remember," Max said.   
  


"But that was nothing like now. She only had headaches...and dizziness."   
  


"Right, the same symptoms as she suffers from now - they are merely heightened."   
  


Just then Liz stepped into the living room. Max and Maria looked up at her and Liz eyed them suspiciously. She had heard them discussing her and the tone of their voices didn't bode good.   
  
"What's up?" she asked, trying her best to act casual.   
  


"Nothing," Maria said quickly and rose. "I'm just going to see what your daughter is doing."   
  


Maria disappeared into the kitchen and Max and Liz were left alone.   
  


Max was avoiding Liz's eyes and Liz felt fear building inside of her. He was pulling away from her again.   
  


"What were you talking about?" Liz asked suspiciously. Liz stepped closer to Max and were just about to sit down on the couch beside Max when Max quickly rose and walked away from her. It was almost as if he was afraid of her. Liz stared at him, trying to control her emotions.   
  


"What are you doing, Max?" she asked.   
  


"I'll just...uhm...go and see what Emma is up to," Max stuttered and started for the kitchen.   
  


"Maria has already taken care of that," Liz pointed out to Max's back and his body came to a halt. Not turning around, Liz could feel the tension in the air. This was not good. Not good at all.   
  


"Max, you're going to tell me what's wrong and you're going to do it right now," Liz said, unconsciously stepping closer to him. As her hand touched his shoulder he practically jumped and stepped away from her turning towards her in the process. Liz wrinkled her forehead. What the hell was he doing?   
  


"Stay away, Liz," Max said warningly.   
  


Liz tried to catch his eyes that kept darting around the room.   
  


"Max, look at me," she demanded. Max didn't obey. "Max...Look. at. me."   
  
Max slowly rose his eyes and meet hers. Liz flinched back at how much hurt and guilt she could see in his eyes. Instinctively she stepped closer to him, intending to comfort him.   
  


"No, Liz," Max said, his voice a little harder. "Don't touch me. I'm only hurting you."   
  


"What are you talking about?" Liz asked, hurt.   
  


"Look what I've done to you. You're sick, Liz and you're probably going to die," Max said.   
  


Cold infested itself in her heart. She had known for a long time that she didn't have a long time left of this life - but to hear someone else say it made it more real. To hear _Max_ say it, the one person she thought would be the last to give up on her, made her heart stop.   
  


"What do you mean?" she whispered.   
  


"I couldn't heal you-"   
  


"Max, I've already told you," Liz said, her voice mechanical since she knew that Max knew something that she didn't know, "you did your best."   
  


Max shook his head.   
"When I healed you the first time, I killed you."   
  


With Max's words hanging in the thick air, Liz sank down on the couch.   
  


"I don't understand," she said.   
  


"I'm so sorry, Liz," Max said, his voice filled with hurt and guilt. "I never meant to hurt you. I couldn't just let you die."   
  
"You aren't making any sense, Max," Liz said, her voice stronger now.   
  


"I asked Kira what was wrong with you," Liz didn't even care who the hell Kira was, she only wanted to know what the heck was going on, " and he said that I had probably changed molecular structures inside of you, damaging the normal functions of your cells and that's what's making you sick. That's what killing you."   
  


Liz closed her eyes and leaned her back against the couch. That frightened her. That frightened her so much because it made more sense to her than any of the expert opinions that the professional doctors had ever given her on her condition. Of course it had to be something alien.   
  


"I'm so sorry, Liz," Max whispered. "I'm so sorry."   
  


She didn't blame him. He had no chance of knowing what healing her would result in. The only thing she could blame him for was saving her life - and _that_ she could never hold against him. By saving her he had showed her true love, he had given her a daughter. She couldn't blame him - she loved him so much. She needed him. She rose and stepped up to Max, and flung her arms around him.   
  
It all happened so fast that Max hadn't the chance to pull away from her. As he felt her body pressed up against his and her smell surrounding him, all fears and insecurities were washed away. This was Liz - his Liz.... But then it hit him again, he had signed her death-note. He was going to lose her again - this time for good - and it was all his fault. He couldn't live without her. He would rather kill himself. He could feel Liz small, yet so strong, arms clutching him to her. She had trusted him. She had trusted him with her life and he had blown it. And still, here she was, hugging him, still trusting him. Not screaming at him, not hitting him, not running away, not crying. However, he wished that she had done all of the above. Perhaps then he wouldn't have felt like such a low scum. Max's arms naturally encircled Liz's body, pulling her even closer to him. His heart and body was pulling her towards him, while his mind was pushing her away.   
  
Liz felt the conflict Max was experiencing.   
  


"Max," she whispered and stroke the nape of his neck. That's when she realized he was crying. Soon his whole body shook with sobs. She had never seen Max cry like that - she had never seen any man cry like that. She released her grip on him and tugged on his hand, while leading him towards the couch. Max was sobbing, his hand repeatedly running over his face to take away the tears. But they were falling too fast. She pulled him down on the couch beside her and pulled him towards her. He folded his arms around her and rested his head on her chest - crying for her. Crying for the loss and grief he had experienced when he had thought that she had died, crying because he had finally found her again, crying because he was going to lose her again. Liz slowly stroked his hair. She couldn't cry, she didn't know what she felt. She was afraid that all her emotions would suffocate her, so she pushed them away - focusing all her energy on Max. As she sat there, Max holding on to her for dear life, she felt the feeling of nausea coming over her again. "No, not now," she thought as she was suddenly hit with the overwhelming need to vomit. She swallowed hard, trying to push the nausea back. If she could just concentrate, she would be able to stop it from happening, right?   
  
Even though Max was on the verge of a breakdown, he was still so in tune with her that he immediately noticed when she tensed up.   
  


"Liz?" he whispered against her chest.   
  


"Shh, don't talk, Max," Liz said.   
  


Max rose his head and looked at her. His eyes were read and puffy and his cheeks were wet.   
  


"What's wr-" but Max never got the chance to finish that sentence, because before he knew it Liz had effectively released herself from his grip and was running towards the bathroom. Seconds later her retching could be heard in the house.   
Maria poked her head out from the kitchen. Her concern was immediately peaked as she saw Max's distraught appearance and found that Liz was nowhere in sight. Max sobbed as he looked at her.   
  


"What's happening?" Maria asked, not sure she even wanted to know.   
  


Max buried his head in his hands and didn't answer.   
  


"Oh my God," Maria murmured as she made her way to the bathroom. "This is not good. This is not good."   
  


She opened the door and found Liz kneeling on the floor hunching over the toilet. Maria kneeled down beside her and pulled away Liz's hair from her face.   
  


"Babe, are you all right?"   
  
"I'm fine," Liz said as she slowly rose. "I have to take care of Max."   
  


Liz opened the tap in the sink and splashed water in her face.   
  


Maria watched Liz in confusion. She couldn't really say that she was surprised that Liz's first thought after she had emptied her entire stomach content was of Max and his well being.   
  


"Maybe you should sit down a bit...or drink some water," Maria said.   
  


Liz turned around and looked Maria straight in the face.   
  


"I have to take care of Max. He needs me. He's always there when I need him, and I'm not going to disappoint him. I've probably messed everything up now because I once again confirmed to him that I'm sick."   
  


What that she brushed past Maria and left the bathroom.   
  
Liz was right. Max's conscience was slowly devouring him. Liz kneeled in front of Max and prized his hands off his face. He had stopped crying, but he still looked bad - really bad.   
  


"Max," Liz said, her heart breaking at the sight of him. "Thank you...for saving my life. Thank you for giving me at least six more years to live. Thank you for giving me the best friendships in the world. Thank you...for giving me you... Don't you understand, Max? You're everything to me. I've loved you for so long...I still love you. Nothing can ever change that. What you did...healing me...was amazing and I'm grateful everyday that you did it. If you hadn't done it I might never have known you. I'm even in some way grateful for the men shooting me. If they hadn't, I wouldn't have seen the real you. The real Max Evans. It's always been you, Max. Even when I wasn't consciously aware of it myself...it has always been you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to raise our daughter with you. I want to die in your arms - even if it means that I might die tomorrow."   
  


At this Max closed his arms around her and pulled her to him.   
  


"I love you so much," he murmured. "I don't know what I'll do without you."   
  
"You have to promise me that you'll live on Max," Liz said. "You have to promise me. You can't leave our daughter alone. You have to take care of her, be there for her. Promise me, Max."   
  


Max heart was falling apart. She was saying goodbye to him. This proved that she knew that she was going to die.   
  


"I don't know if I can live without you..not again," Max whispered.   
  


"You have to, Max. Please, take care of our daughter."   
  


Max loved Emma already - with all his heart. He didn't want to leave her alone in this world - where someone probably sooner or later would put a price on her head. If it wasn't their alien enemies it would be the FBI or some other nutcase wanting fame and fortune - ignoring the lives he destroyed in the process. But did Max possess the strength to go on without Liz? Without the love of his life. Without his soulmate? Well, he just had to. If that was what Liz needed, he would do it.   
  


"I promise," he said. With that promise Liz's barrier broke and she started crying.

TBC...


	21. Book 1 Chapter 22

Hi everyone!!

I'm so happy right now! I just found out that I've been accepted to a university I've applied to in Australia!! It's my dream coming true!! So, I just thought that I would stop by and give you a new chapter! =D

**Mysticivysqiyi** – That's so cool! Your name is native American? And connected to astrology? Thank you so much for the fb!!! =D

**Renee** – Hi! Thank you for leaving feedback! Now I can welcome you properly to this story! Welcome!! =D

**Ames** – Thank you so much for the fb!!

**NATZ** – Hi! Welcome to this fic!! I'm so happy that you're enjoying it! To put your mind at ease, I'm not planning on killing Liz – no way! Even though I have a tendency to write somewhat angsty, I am a sucker for good endings. And that's where this story will eventually end too... Thank you for the feedback!! =D

**Saloir Vamp** – Hi! Welcome!!! So glad to have you here! And thank you sooo much for the feedback!! What's going to happen to Liz? Well, you just gotta read on to find out ;-)

Btw, for those of you who are interested I'm starting a new fic. It's a Roswell fic (of course) and is M/L (duh?). It's called **"Love By Any Other Name"** and is an AU (Alternate Universe) fic. Here's the summary;

Max Evans has been married for two years. He and his wife are blissfully happy and have a beautiful two-year-old, but this all changes one fateful night. Liz Parker has a serious heart condition and without an immediate heart transplant she will die. Max and Liz's lives are about to change irreversibly by the actions of one drunk driver.

It's based on a challenge by a very talented writer called Deejonaise (you might have heard of her). 

Please check it out...

**Chapter 22**   
  
"What did Kira say to him?" Michael demanded. Maria had called him on his cell, on the verge of hysterics. She had been rambling something about Kira making Max believe that Max had made Liz sick and that Liz was going to die. And then Maria had been going on about Max crying and Liz vomiting, but that hadn't made any sense to Michael at all.   
  


"I don't know," Maria answered truthfully. "Max only told me that he was killing Liz, that it was his fault that she was dying."   
  


"Damnit!" Michael said and frustrated pulled his hands through his hair. Why did that alien dude have to mess everything up? Wasn't Liz and Max bad of as it was already? He looked at the couple sleeping on the couch. Maria had told him that they had fallen asleep about twenty minutes ago. Probably, all the emotions had worn them out. Max was laying on his back and Liz was draped over his chest, one of her legs between Max's. Michael shook his head at the sight - somehow Max and Liz made such an uncomfortable position look comfortable.   
  


"I'm calling Kira," Michael said, taking control over the situation.   
  


"Is that so wise?" Isabel asked. She was sitting on the floor, laying puzzle with Emma. Maria never thought she would live to see the day when the ice-queen played with kids - sitting on the floor. But wonders never ceased...   
  


"He has created this mess, and he's gonna clean it up," Michael said firmly. "I'm calling him."   
  


Maria gave him the phone and he dialed.   
  


"Yes?" Kira answered.   
  


"This is Michael. Get your ass over here now!" Michael said, his voice remorseless.   
  


"Michael?" Kira asked, confusion in his voice.   
  


"We're at Liz's place," Michael said.   
  


"What's going on?" Kira asked, but no one was listening. Michael had already hung up.   
  
Michael's angry voice had woken Max up. He looked at Michael, pacing the room (Michael never paced the room!), while he threaded his fingers through Liz's dark hair.   
  


"Michael, what's wrong?" Max asked, his voice low and calm.   
  


Michael turned towards Max's voice, and found him awake. He had not moved at all from his position, since Liz was still sleeping, but Michael knew that Max's brain was already put into highest gear.   
  


"I've just summoned a meeting," Michael declared simply.   
  


"You did?" Max asked, disbelief in his voice.   
  


"Michael wants to teach Kira one thing and another about how to treat the king," Maria said.   
  


Max narrowed his eyes, but Michael beat him to it and spoke before Max had even the chance to open his mouth.   
  


"No one gets you and Liz that worked up and expects not to deal with the consequences."   
  


"Aha," Max said slowly and nodded. "Michael, there's nothing wrong here, Kira told me the truth - that's all I ever asked for."   
  


"He could have done it a little smoother," Michael said sulkily. Max was once again disapproving of his decisions.   
  


Max eyed Michael. He could feel the tension radiating off Michael, so he backed off. It was not a good idea to push this any further.   
  


"When should he arrive?" Max asked.   
  


"In about half an hour," Michael said.   
  


Max nodded and closed his eyes again, clutching Liz closer to his chest.   
  
  
By the time Kira arrived, Max and Liz were sitting on the couch, fully awake. Maria was now playing 'house' with Emma on the floor, while Isabel sat in one of the armchairs. At Kira's knock Michael crossed the floor and opened the door.   
Kira stepped in, giving off a somewhat breathless appearance.   
  


"So, what's up?" Kira asked casually. Isabel was sitting in one of the armchairs, looking a bit...angry. Michael was standing in front of him....looking pissed. He saw his former king sitting on the couch, holding an unhealthy-looking girl tightly by the hand. There was something different about his king. Even though he seemed tired and sad, his aura had changed. He was calmer, more self-confident - more like a king.   
  


"You must be the famous Liz Parker, I presume," Kira said and nodded towards Liz.   
Liz looked him straight in the eye. No one had ever dare to meet his look that way, except Max Evans. He knew instinctively that he had a brave and strong-willed girl in front of him.   
  


"And you must be Kira," Liz stated.   
  


"Why have I been summoned, your Hi-...Max?"   
  


"You can't just blurt out whatever you feel like," Michael answered in Max's place. "What you say have great ramifications."   
  


Kira turned to the second-in-command.   
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked.   
  


"You telling Max that he is making Liz sick," Isabel explained.   
  


"Oh that," Kira said, thinking that it was not such a big deal. However, he didn't know Max Evans as well as he thought he did. If he had, he would have known that Max would kill himself rather than see Liz suffer from something he had caused. Max wasn't only the king of a far-away planet, but also the master of self-guilt.   
  


As Kira looked around the room, the ramifications of what he had told Max started to sink in.   
  


"Ehh, I wanted to talk to you about something anyway," Kira said, effectively side-tracking the conversation away from the accusations against him.   
  


"About what?" Max asked.   
  


"About Liz's condition," Kira answered. It only took the mentioning of Liz's name in a sentence and you had Max's fullest attention.   
  


"I'm listening," Max prompted, when Kira didn't continue right away.   
  


"As I was driving here, one of my men told me something that got me thinking. I haven't thought of it since I automatically didn't see it as a reality, because she was human."   
  


"Go on," Isabel said when he quieted.   
  


"Right. You mentioned this _connection_ that you had with Liz."   
  


Max nodded.   
  


"On our planet those kind of connections existed. When a man had connected with a woman they were bound together forever."   
  
"Like a marriage?" Maria asked from her corner. She was keeping thirty percent of her attention on the play with Emma, while the other seventy percent were focused on Kira.   
  


"Well, no. If your marriages had worked I guess you could say that. But your marriages here on Earth are treated far too casually. A connection is forever - it binds two people together forever." Liz leaned further into Max, seeking his warmth. Max took her hand with his other hand and draped an arm around her shoulder instead, pulling her closer to him.   
  


"What has this to do with anything?" Michael asked impatiently.   
  


"When a man connect with a woman, he's giving her a part of him...of his heart if you like. When they are together they feel complete. When apart, they feel like they are missing something. I have never been connected to anyone, so I'm not really sure how that feels like," Liz and Max knew exactly what that felt like, "and connections are not as common in our world as you might think."   
  


"Would you consider them rare?" Isabel asked.   
  


"I would consider them special," Kira answered. "You see, just like on Earth, we want to find the right one to spend our lives with. However, if we make a mistake, here on Earth that is, we can solve it by divorce. When you have connected with someone you can't make it undone. The two persons are, as you would say it, 'stuck with each other'. Therefore I hope that you understands the importance of making the right decision in our world. Not many people dare to do that."   
  
"Wow, sounds heavy," Maria murmured, thinking that she would probably never be able to give a part of herself to anyone - and then have to be stuck with that person for like...eternity.   
"If two people have connected," Kira continued, "they feel empty if separated."   
  


"But are they sick?" Max asked.   
  


Kira shook his head.   
  


"I cannot remember any connection where that was the case. The most serious is that they don't feel whole. How would they otherwise survive the death of the....'soulmate' as you call it. But I was thinking....The circumstances are different here. She's a human. Perhaps her body can't handle a connection..."   
  


"Or being separated," Maria pointed out.   
  


Kira seemed to consider that for about thirty seconds before he uttered himself again.   
  


"Have you've been separated after the connection?" Kira asked.   
  


"Of course they have, they were separated for five years," Michael said.   
  


Kira shook his head. "No, I mean before that. Were you ever separate then?"   
  


Liz squeezed Max's hand, sending him comfort.   
  


"Yes," Max said. "We were separated." He was very careful not to go into the specifics.   
  


He didn't really want to relive everything that had happened with him and Liz and the whole Kyle incident.   
  


"How did Liz feel then?" Kira asked.   
  
"_Liz_ did not feel so good," Liz answered, somewhat annoyed that Kira was acting like she wasn't even in the room. Kira looked at the strong girl with the weak-looking exterior.   
  


"Which were you're symptoms?" Kira asked.   
  


"Dizziness, headaches..." Liz said.   
  


"Did they get any better when you were with Max?" Kira asked.   
  


Liz thought about that for a fraction of a second and then her eyes widened.   
  


"Yes. Yes, I did," she said.   
  


"But why aren't you feeling better now?" Kira said, mostly to himself.   
  


"Well," Max said and Kira looked at him. "Liz is blocking the connection."   
  


"Why would you do that?" Kira asked, a hint of accusation in his voice.   
  


"She isn't doing it on purpose," Max said, immediately stepping into defensive mode. "We've tried to remove it, but we can't..."   
  


The disappointment was evident in Max's voice.   
  


"Wait here a minute," Isabel said. "Max have connected with Kyle too - he have healed him too. Does that mean that Kyle and Max are connected as well?" Maria looked disgusted, while Michael grinned - totally enjoying the embarrassed look on Max's face.   
  
"No," Kira answered, and Max seemingly relaxed. "There must be the _want_ to connect with someone. Otherwise Max wouldn't be able to heal anyone without being afraid that he bonded with more people."   
  


"You mean Max claimed Liz as his?" Maria said, somewhat offended by the caveman vision her mind conjured at Kira's words.   
  


"You can say that," Kira said. "As I explained earlier. When someone connected with another, that person must give a part of himself. Max possibly did that when he healed Liz - but not when he healed Kyle."   
  


"That makes sense," Liz murmured.   
  


"Now that I think about it, it's very likely that it is the connection that is the root to the problem here. Max and Liz's inability to reach each other through the connection might be what's causing the sickness," Kira said.   
  


Liz looked up at Max. Could it be that simple? But it was better than that Max had changed vital functions inside of her. Perhaps they could do something about this.   
Max met Liz's eyes, and hugged her closer to him.   
  


"What have you done in order to lift the blocking?" Kira asked.   
  


"I have connected with her," Max said. "But I couldn't enter her mind, I couldn't reach her. It's like she's put up a wall, making it impossible to enter."   
  


"It seems as if she have put up the block in order to protect herself," Kira said, thoughtfully.   
  


"Why would Liz want to protect herself from Max?" Maria asked.   
  
"No, not from Max," Kira said. "Liz, what really happened when everyone else thought you were dead?"   
  


"I was attacked by Nasedo and Tess. Nasedo put his hand on me...and my interior started to heat up and then I lost consciousness," Liz said.   
  


"Have you used any of the powers through the connection?" Kira asked.   
  


"What do you mean?" Max asked.   
  


"Doesn't Liz have any powers on her own?" Isabel asked.   
  


"No...she's still human. The only possibility I can come up with is that she can tap in on Max's powers through the connection and use them. Max probably changed her so that she was able to use Max's powers. People who are connected on our planet, can often utilize each other's powers through the connection."   
  


"Cool," Maria said. "Hey, Michael! Why haven't you shared any cool powers with me?"   
  


"You're not seriously suggesting that I shall be bonded with you?!" Michael snorted.   
Maria looked offended.   
  


"And why - Mickey G - wouldn't you want to be bonded with me?" Maria asked.   
  


"Okay, here we go again," Isabel murmured.   
  


"Guys, stop it!" Liz demanded. Both Michael and Maria quieted at the authority in her voice. Kira looked at Liz in amazement. She certainly _was_ bonded to Max, she was already acting like a real queen.   
  


"So how would me tapping in on Max's powers cause me to block the connection - isn't that a bit illogical. To use powers through the connection to close the very same connection?" Liz asked.   
  
"Maybe something backfired...or you were trying to protect Max from getting hurt," Kira said.   
  


"How would she do that?" Max asked.   
  


"You can feel her feelings through the connection, right?" Kira asked.   
  


Max nodded.   
  


"Perhaps she wanted to protect you from experiencing all that pain too," Kira said.   
Max turned to Liz.   
  


"Did you do that?" he asked her.   
  


Liz shook her head.   
  


"I don't know, Max. I don't remember exactly what I did during the...uhm..burning. The pain was too..consuming for me to be able to have any clear thoughts."   
  


"But she can have done it unconsciously, right?" Isabel asked.   
  


"The connection between Max and Liz must be very strong if she is to be able to do that without focusing...but yes, it's possible," Kira answered.   
  


There were some minutes of silence as everyone pondered the information. The only sound around them, was the low and soft voice coming from Emma's playing with the dolls beside Maria.   
  


"In the beginning, did you connect with each other easily?" Kira asked. When Max and Liz looked a little confused, he elaborated. "By connecting I mean, did you get images, feelings and thoughts from each other already in the beginning?"   
  


"No," Max answered. "I saw images of Liz's life when I healed her...but it wasn't until we..uhm..kissed, that I saw images again."   
  
"And Liz saw these flashes too?" Kira asked.   
  


Max and Liz nodded their heads in unison.   
  


"Then that's probably it," Kira said and grew silent, as if that phrase had explained everything.   
  


Michael shook his head in confusion.   
  


"What's it?" he asked. Kira eyed each member of the group and it dawned on him that they didn't know what he was talking about.   
  


"Oh, sorry," he said. "You have to kiss. You haven't kissed yet, since you were separated, right?"   
  


With red ears in embarrassment Max shook his head.   
  


"Well, if you kiss then the connection will probably open again, since that's how you opened the connection in the beginning before it became permanent."   
  


"Now?" Liz asked, her voice trembling with nervousness.   
  


"Well, why not?" Kira said. Kira, being a man from another planet, didn't see a problem in that. "I need to see if it works."   
  


Michael chuckled, amusement spread over his whole face. This was really funny. Maria was looking pissed. Isabel tried to figure out if Kira was joking or not. Max and Liz had been separated for five years, and now Kira just demanded that they should kiss - just like that. Max and Liz looked...well...   
  


Max cleared his throat.   
  
"Can we at least have some privacy?" he asked, his voice strained.   
  


Now it was Kira's turn to look confused.   
  


"Ehh, as you wish," he said.   
  


"Okay," Liz said, trying to stop herself from laughing. This was really ridiculous, and Max embarrassment was just sooo cute. She stood up, taking a firm grip on Max's hand and tugging him into the direction of the bedroom. "Come here, Max."

TBC...


	22. Book 1 Chapter 23

Hi all!!

I'm just sneaking by here in the midst of all chaos preparing for the university means, to give you another chapter. **Thank you for the wonderful feedback!** You are the best!!

A big welcome to new readers!!

And **lauraliz**, about your story... I would love to take a look at it and help you out with it. I just don't have the time right now. When everything settles down here I will have more time. So, if you're willing to wait a week or two I would gladly do it. You can send me what you've written so far and I'll look at it when I've got the time. But I'll have to warn you that English is only my second language, so I probably cannot help you with grammar and spelling and things like that. Thank you for reading my story!! I value your feedback so much!!

Here's the next chapter...

I'd love to hear what you think =)

**Chapter 23**   
  


  
As Liz closed the bedroom door behind them, the humor in the situation had completely vanished.   
  


"So," Max said.   
  


"So," Liz repeated.   
  


"Liz, we don't have to do this if you don't want to," Max said, as he scratched himself behind his ear.   
  


Liz smiled.   
  


"Max, I would gladly kiss you any second of any day of the week," Liz teased.   
  


Max blushed. He felt the blood flowing through his veins and arteries heating up, as Liz stepped closer to him.   
  


"L-liz, aren't you afraid," Max whispered.   
  


Liz stopped in front of Max, her face merely inches from his. She could feel his warm breath on her face. She wrinkled her forehead.   
  


"Why would I be afraid?" she asked.   
  


"I-I-I might hurt you," Max said.   
  


Liz sighed and rolled her eyes.   
  


"You must be kidding me, Max!" she said.   
  
"Nuhu," Max said and slowly shook his head.   
  


"No?" Liz asked, arching one eye-brow.   
  


"No, I don't want to cause you anymore harm," Max said.   
  


"Max, haven't you been listening? This might help me. Wouldn't you want to cure me? Max, are you saying that you don't want to kiss me?" Liz asked seductively as she traced Max's jawbone lightly with her index finger. Max closed his eyes at her tingling touch, and tried to control himself. Where had this Liz Parker come from? Liz didn't know herself how she ended up being such a temptress. All she knew was that she wanted Max to kiss her more than anything else in the world.   
  


"It's not-not that I don't want to kiss you," Max stuttered, the same feelings he had always felt in the close proximity of Liz Parker came rushing back to him. And just as always he was having great difficulties to control his feelings.   
  
"You just don't want to hurt me," Liz said, her lips millimeters from his lips. That was it for Max. He closed the distance between them. The feeling of her soft lips, brought tears to his eyes, and his arms went around her pulling her closer. The kiss was soft, tentative at first but as that familiar electricity surged through their bodies the kiss quickly was filled with passion and lust. Their mouths explored each other, trying to make up for all the kisses lost – all the things they've gone through without the other by the side. Max buried his hand in Liz's hair, pulling her lips closer to his. Their tongues tangled together, melting into one. As they came up for air, Max continued the travel of his lips down Liz's jawbone. Liz moaned lightly at the assault of his lips.   
  


"God, Max," she breathed. Max relished in the taste of Liz Parker. Liz needed to feel his lips on hers again and guided his lips back to hers. Liz couldn't get enough of him, she had missed him so much. Even in this passion, Max's strong hands held Liz protectively to him - careful not to harm her somewhat fragile body.   
  
A knock on the door broke them apart.   
  


Breathing heavily Max and Liz looked at each other.   
  


"We have to stop doing this where people can interrupt us," Max said with a smile.   
  


"How's it going? Any flashes yet?!" Michael's voice seeped through the door, unmistakably etched with the gloating the knowledge of what he had interrupted brought.   
  


Liz smiled at Max.   
  


"Does he got a death wish or what?" she murmured.   
  


That's when it hit them, at the same time.   
  


"Did you see anything?" Liz asked slowly, anxiety evident in her voice.   
  


"No," Max said. "Did you?"   
  


Liz's face fell and she felt like crying as she shook her head - the disappointment almost suffocating her.   
  


Max pulled her to him again, holding her tightly to his body. She wanted the relief tears could give her, but no tears would come. She clutched Max to her - unconsciously drawing energy and support from him.   
  


"Are you ready to go out?" Max asked softly. He was not sure he was completely ready himself. He wanted to stay in here with Liz - doing whatever it took to make her feel better. He felt Liz nod against his chest.   
  


"Okay," Max said and released her, taking her hand as he opened the door.   
  
  
Michael stepped away from the door to let Max and Liz out. By their flustered faces and swollen lips, he was positive that they had experienced some serious face sucking.   
  


"Oh, Max. Liz. Fancy meeting you here," Michael said.   
  


"Michael...don't get me started," Max warned.   
  


"Okaaay, excuuuse meee!" Michael said and headed for the living room.   
  


Maria looked up at the couple as it entered after Michael. They were looking better - both of them. Liz's face had gotten some color, and then Maria wasn't referring to the blushed nuance. They looked more...alive. However, she didn't fail to notice the sadness and disappointment that was coming off Liz in waves.   
  


"Oh, Liz," Maria said, guessing that they hadn't succeeded in restoring the connection, "I'm so sorry."   
  


Liz stepped into her best friend's waiting arms - her hand never leaving Max's for an instant.   
Maria hugged Liz closely to her.   
  


"Don't give up, Liz," Maria said. "You hear me? Don't give up. Not now."   
  


"I'm gonna die," Liz stated, longing for tears to come to her to wet her dry eyes."And I probably don't have that long time left."   
  
"This can't be happening," Maria thought. "We finally find her, and we even have alien powers and her boyfriend has freakin' healing powers and still we are going to lose her!!"   
  


"It didn't go so well, did it?" Kira asked, his voice breaking Liz and Maria apart.   
  


"No," Max answered. "So what do we do now?"   
  


Kira looked at his leader perplexed.   
  


"I'm sorry, Max. I don't know anymore we can do," Kira said apologetically.   
  


"But she's gonna die!!" Max cried.   
  


"Wait, what about the healing stones?" Isabel said.   
  


"Of course, why didn't we think of that any sooner?" Maria said, hope filling her.   
  


"You have healing stones?" Kira asked.   
  


"Yes, we used them to heal Michael," Isabel said.   
  


"That can be our only chance," Kira said, and turned towards one of the two of his men, who had been guarding the front door. "Nemo, get the healing stones and bring them here."   
  


"Yes, sir," Nemo answered.   
  


"Who will go with Nemo to show where the healing stones are?" Kira asked.   
  


"I will," Michael said. He really felt up to going on a mission. Well, mostly it was a good excuse to get out of this nut house. Too many hours in a restricted area with Isabel _and_ Maria could sooner or later give him a free ticket to the mental institution. He could not leave fast enough.   
  
  
An hour later, Michael and Nemo were back with the healing stones.   
  


"Okay, let's get started," Kira said. "Liz, you position yourself on your back here on the floor." They had pushed the furniture away, making room for the healing. As Kira instructed Liz, the others positioned themselves in a circle around Liz. They had carried some sand inside and had used it too make lines of a circle with five lines meeting in the middle. Emma had found this part very funny, and the work had taken twice as long time only because Emma had used the sand to play in. Firstly, she had built houses and then she had gotten her mini toy cars out and had used the lines as roads. Liz had taken her to the bedroom some minutes prior to Michael and Nemo's return, and she was now napping soundly in her bed. Max gave Liz a kiss on the forehead before he let her go to lay in the middle of the circle.   
  


"So, I guess you know how to do this," Kira said.   
  


"Okay guys, now focus on Liz," Max said, as he lifted the bowl of water from the floor. He looked around himself, at the faces of the only people he trusted in the world...and Kira - who he hoped that he could trust just as much. His eyes lastly fell on the girl of his dreams, the love of his life, laying pale on the hard, cold floor. She looked so small and fragile, but he knew that body held an immense amount of strength and will.   
  


Max took a sip from the bowl of water and then passed it on to Maria standing beside him. The bowl continued it's way round the circle - binding them together with the one thing they all had in common, despite their different origins - water. As the bowl had completed the circle, everybody took one healing stone each, closed their eyes and focused on Liz.   
  
Liz inhaled and exhaled slowly and evenly, trying to remain calm and focused. Then she closed her eyes and immediately felt the warmth spreading inside her body. For one frightened moment her mind returned to the night when Nasedo had burnt her, but just as soon as the panic had flowed through her - it had dissipated again. This warmth was something different. It was something Liz had never experienced before. She was enveloped in feelings of pure love. She had never felt love so pure, so unconditional. She opened her eyes and found herself on a beach. The ocean was turquoise and glittered in the warm sun. She looked down, and noticed that her feet were bare, sinking down in warm, almost completely white sand. She was dressed in a white dress - the soft material billowing around her body in the slight humid ocean breeze. She was filled with an immense sense of calmness and comfort. The beach was deserted - but the loneliness didn't frighten her. She felt safe here. The beach stretched out for miles. She looked up at the blue cloudless sky. Not a single sound was heard. Everything was so quiet, merely the gentle blowing of the wind was registered by her.   
  


"Liz?" A voice behind her said. She turned around and saw Maria standing there. Maria smiled warmly and walked towards her, embracing her in a warm hug. Maria's thoughts and feelings flowed into Liz. She relived all their moments together, all their sleep-overs, all their talks about boys, all the times they had been standing in front of the mirror, dancing and miming to some song. Liz experienced her friend's sorrow when Maria had thought that Liz had died. Liz could feel Maria's hope as Max had told them Liz was alive. But she could also feel that same hope dwindle to soon sink into hopelessness as the years went by. Liz felt Maria's deep-rooted fear about losing her best friend. But through it all Liz felt Maria's love and support.   
  
Maria stepped away, leaving room to Michael. Liz smiled at Michael and Michael hugged Liz to him. Liz could feel all Michael's insecurities, all his fears of disappointing Max and everyone in the group. But she also felt his admiration of her and his big-brother protectiveness. Michael released her and the next second Liz was hugging Isabel. Isabel - who put up a whole act to prevent herself from getting hurt. Isabel - who admired Liz for having the courage to be herself and don't let anyone put her down. But also the Isabel who had a large warm heart, just longing to love and be loved. Liz could feel how Isabel was already considering Liz as her sister, being grateful for Liz's persistence in letting Isabel in. 

Isabel let go off her and Liz found herself face to face with Kira, who she had merely known for a couple of hours. Kira bowed his head and took her hand and kissed the back of it. In that small gesture Liz could feel the deep respect Kira had already obtained for her, and the loyalty he held towards Max and had already started to feel towards Liz. Kira stepped away. 

Liz looked at the man standing a few feet away from her. He smiled and stepped up to her. He brought up his hand and caressed her cheek and next he brought his lips down on hers. The kiss was slow, but nonetheless filled with a passion Liz had never felt before. Max's love flowed through her, making her almost light-headed. His love was pure. She felt that he had not given up on her. He would stand by her till the end. He would never leave her side. Max's lips slowly parted from hers and with a parting kiss on the forehead, Liz closed her eyes and woke up on the floor in her apartment in Santa Fe, New Mexico.   
  
"Liz, are you okay?" Maria asked, kneeling beside Liz as she slowly pulled herself up in sitting position.   
  


"Yeah, yeah...I'm okay," Liz said feeling dazed.   
  


Max pulled her into his lap, eyeing her over.   
  


"It didn't work, did it?" Liz asked Max.   
  


"I still can't feel you," Max said, trying his best not to let the hurt shine through, wanting to protect Liz from his feelings of disappointment.   
  


"It didn't work?" Michael asked.   
  


Liz shook her head.   
  


"Don't you feel better?" Isabel asked.   
  


"Actually, I feel great," Liz said.   
  


"So what's the problem?" Michael asked.   
  


"I still can't feel Liz," Max pointed out.   
  


"Maybe it's just a delayed reaction," Maria suggested.   
  


"Maybe," Liz said but she wasn't convinced. She felt as if she had been reborn, all her symptoms were gone - but the fact remained that the connection was still blocked. She didn't want to get her hopes up again. She had hoped so much the last hours to just have it slap her in her face over and over again. She might feel good now, but she had a feeling that with the blocking of the connection, her symptoms would soon be returning.

TBC...


	23. Book 1 Chapter 24

Wow! Thank you guys for your feedback!! It means tons to me!!

Without further ado...

**Chapter 24**   
  
Liz closed the door to her bedroom and paused - relishing in the silence. Max was in the living room, talking to Kira. She had left, not being able to hear the hurt and hopelessness in Max's voice. She needed time alone, time to think. She had been through so much since Max had decided to make an entrance into her life almost two days ago and she hadn't even had any time to process it all. She realized that she had not really _lived_ any of all those days. She had been so confused. She had tried to pretend like nothing, accept that she didn't know her righteous part in this world and that she had to move on and go about her life like any other human being would do. 

Of course, that was nearly impossible. She was constantly reminded about her lack of memories, as someone mentioned a city and she had no clue where that city was located, or someone mentioned a name and she had no idea that that person had been a president or a famous actress. She had never really been able to accept the fact that she had a child - a beautiful daughter - but no idea who her daddy was, what he looked like, where he lived or what his name was. Now that the memory had returned to her, many things fell in place that had puzzled her earlier.   
  
Like the unexplained phenomena her daughter used to accomplish. Liz remembered one particular event with Emma's teddy bear, as Emma had been only four months old. Liz had bought Emma a pink teddy bear, and had placed it in Emma's crib. The next day, the bear had been blue. Liz had discarded the whole thing as temporary insanity on her part - maybe the bear _had_ been blue. But she had never quite been able to forget about it. It was one of those events that had been piled at a place at the back of her mind. Just like when she was giving birth to Emma. She had felt a surge of energy go through her, supporting her throughout the last stages of birth. Now she knew that it had been Max...   
  


"Oh my God," she gasped and flung the bedroom door open, rushing into the living room.   
  


"Max!" she cried.   
  
Max spun around and looked at her, a flicker of fear passing over his face. So much bad had happened in the last couple of hours that he expected the worst as he saw her agitated face expression. But then he saw a small sparkle of...hope in her eyes.   
  


"Liz...?" he said, almost timidly.   
  


"Max, remember the day when I was giving birth?" Liz asked, her voice masked with excitement.   
  


Max looked at her, wondering if she was finally losing it.   
  


"Liz...I wasn't with you," he said carefully.   
  


"No, no, I know," Liz said, the words pouring out of her. "Do you remember when I gave birth to Emma?"   
  


Max tried to figure out what she meant. He had a feeling Liz was onto something important.   
  


"You mean- you mean - Yes! I could feel you..." Max said, the realization dawning on him as he too started to get infected with Liz's excitement.   
  


"You could feel her?" Kira asked. "Wasn't this _after_ the connection was blocked?"   
  


Liz nodded excitedly, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.   
  


"I could feel your pain and your contractions," Max said, but then slowed down as doubt tried to crawl its way back into his mind. "But perhaps that was only because-"   
  


"No Max!" Liz said. "I could feel you!"   
  


"You could?" Max asked slowly, it all starting to sink in.   
  


"You could?" Kira echoed.   
  
"At the last stages of birth...when things were the worst, I could feel you - sending your energy to me through the connection. When I come to think of it, I had probably not been able to live through the birth if you hadn't reached out for me. I was already so sick. I had no strength left." 

  
Max pulled her flush against his body and put his strong arms around her waist. He knew that she wasn't aware of the magnitude her words had on him. She truly was incredible. She had succeeded in lessening his bad conscience - removing some of his demons - and she probably wasn't even aware of it.   
  


"This is good, right?" Max asked Kira, not letting go off Liz.   
  


Kira wasn't sure if this changed anything, but he had experienced enough of Max's misery the last couple of hours to know not to intentionally give him bad news when it came to Liz.   
  


"Well, this _does_ mean that the connection _can_ be opened again. But we don't know if it was only an one-time occasion."   
  


"But there's a possibility that we can restore the connection?" Liz asked.   
  


"Yes," Kira said. He was not at all convinced, but neither Max nor Liz noted. They were too happy to pay any greater attention to what was transpiring around them.   
  
"Maybe we just haven't found the right method to open the connection yet," Max said.   
  


"But why was the connection blocked again after the birth?" Kira said to himself.   
  


Max released Liz and his happy appearance faltered a bit. Liz looked up at him, took his hand and gave it an reassuring squeeze. Max smiled gratefully at her. This was perhaps their last thread of hope and Liz could not let that be crushed so easily.   
  


"I had no memory," Liz said calmly. "If I had known I had fought with everything I had to keep the connection open. But I didn't even know about the connection. How can I keep something open that I didn't even knew existed?"   
  


"It was easier for you to fall back to having the connection blocked as that was the state your mind recognized in its state of amnesia," Kira said, contemplating Liz's words.   
  


Liz nodded. The sound of the ringing of a cell phone ripped through the air. Max jerked his head up at the sound.   
  
"That's yours," Kira informed, as he made no inclination as to answer.   
  


Max looked slightly surprised, and then he hauled up the cell phone from his pocket. He looked at the telephone number on the display before he pressed the connect-button.   
  


"Hi Alex!" Max said and had to smile as interest flared up in Liz's eyes.   
  


Max was quiet for some time as he listened to Alex at the other end of the line.   
  


"That's good, Alex," Max said, trying to keep himself from not grinning at Liz's miserable efforts at hiding her craving to talk to Alex. She was trying her best to pretend to not seem interested at all in what Max was doing.   
  


Alex was just as bad at hiding the real purpose of him calling. Alex was highly conscious of the fact that Max had found Liz and that Max right now was in the very same room as the best friend he had known almost everything single detail about a couple of years ago. The third member of the former Three Musketeers. And now he had to pretend that he had only called to update Max on the situation home in Roswell.   
  


"Alex, hold on for a sec, would ya?" Max asked.   
  


"Uhm..okay," Alex said.   
  


Max lowered the phone, holding a hand over the speaker.   
  


"Liz...," Max said.   
  


"Yes," Liz said, trying her best to sound casual.   
  
"There's someone here that would like to speak to you," Max said, smiling.   
  


"Okay," Liz whispered, not even attempting to hide the tremble in her voice, revealing her nervousness.   
  


Max kissed her gently on the forehead and gave her upper arm a light squeeze, before putting the phone to her ear. Liz shakily put her hand over his on the phone and they both registered the small electrical tingle at the touch before Max withdrew his hand.   
  


"I'll be in the kitchen," Max whispered.   
  


Liz nodded weakly and watched as Max disappeared into the kitchen. She drew a shaky breath.   
  


"Hi Alex," she said into the speaker. Her voice was low but stable, considering the turmoil that was going on inside of her.   
  


"Liz...?" she heard that familiar voice, that she had longed to hear ever since she retrieved her memory, say. "Is that really you?"   
  


"Yeah," Liz said.   
  


"God, Liz... I can't believe it. I thought you were dead," Alex said.   
  


"Well, in some ways you can say that I was," Liz said.   
  


"Yeah, Isabel told me that you had amnesia," Alex said. There was a pause.   
  


"God Liz, I have so many questions - I don't even know where to begin. There's so much I wanna know. Isabel has told me a little...but.. so...How are you? Eh...I mean, how have you been?"   
  
Liz couldn't help but smile at his stuttering, her nervousness gradually sliding off her as she realized that Alex was just as nervous. She grew calmer as his familiar voice enveloped her.   
  


"As good as could be expected," Liz said.   
  


"Right," Alex said in disbelief and Liz could by the sound of his voice tell that he was smiling.   
  


"I've heard that you were sick."   
  


"Well, yeah...," Liz said evasively.   
  


"Someone also informed me that you're eligible to take part in leading the car-pooling to school now," Alex said, his voice affectionate.   
  


Liz's face shone up at the thought of her beautiful daughter.   
  


"Yeah," she breathed.   
  


"I heard she's as beautiful as her mother," Alex said and Liz blushed.   
  


"She's wonderful," Liz said proudly. "I don't think I would have survived if it wasn't for her. I would have given up a long time ago."   
  


"I can't wait to meet her," Alex said, "and thank her."   
  


Liz smiled, tears stinging her eyes.   
  


"I've missed you, Liz," Alex said.   
  


"I miss you too," Liz said.   
  
"Are you coming home to Roswell?" Alex asked.   
  


Liz hesitated. She hadn't really thought about the future yet - a couple of minutes ago she hadn't thought she even _had_ a future. Was she going back to Roswell? She figured her parents still lived there. She missed her parents so much. She had to meet everyone. But to everyone in Roswell she was dead. How was she going to explain a sudden coming back from the dead? However, it had not been her choice to leave, and she wanted back. But was she ready? She wanted to, but so much had happened and she was afraid that she was getting overloaded - overwhelmed by all her emotions.   
  


"I don't know," Liz answered. "Of course I'm coming back....but there are some practical things to take care of. I have work here and Emma has friends at day care. I need a little more time."   
  


"Of course you do," Alex said. "I completely understand that. But isn't Max and the others going back tomorrow?"   
  


A blur of emotions bubbled up inside of her. Just the thought of being apart from Max anymore made her feel so many things. The most distinct feeling being fear.   
"You know, it's Monday tomorrow and we all attend the university," Alex said, a little worried by Liz's silence. 

  
"Of course," Liz thought. "What did you think, Liz? That they were just hanging around doing nothing day after day. They all have their own lives!" She realized that she knew nothing of how Max's life was like now.   
  
"Liz?" Alex said, bringing Liz back to reality.   
  


"Honestly, Alex. I haven't talked to them about it yet - but I guess they're all returning back tomorrow."   
  


"Well, I'm not so sure Max will leave your side anytime soon," Alex said. "We'll have to chain him to a wall and throw away the key to keep him away from you. And even then I'm not so sure it would stop him - alien powers or not."   
  


Liz smiled.   
"I can understand that, because I feel the same way," Liz said.   
  


"We'll meet each other sooner or later, Liz," Alex promised. "Nothing can keep me away either - it's some kind of power you have on us Liz Parker!"   
  


Liz giggled. She had only spoken to Alex for approximately ten minutes and already she felt like a teenager again, discussing every thing between heaven and Earth (and even beyond Earth) with one of her very oldest best friends.   
  
"Thank you, Alex," Liz said.   
  


"For what?" Alex asked, confused.   
  


"Just...thank you...for being you," Liz said.   
  


"Welcome back, Liz," Alex said, the smile once again evident in his voice.   
  


"I love you, Alex," Liz said.   
  


"Love you too, girlfriend," Alex said. "Talk later, huh?"   
  


"Try stopping me," Liz said, smiling.   
  


"Bye, Liz," Alex said, reluctant to hang up.   
  


"Bye, Alex," Liz said and slowly lowered the phone from her ear and pressed the disconnect-button. She just stood there for a while, listening to the voices coming from the kitchen. Familiar voices - voices of her family. She became aware of the smell that had started to fill every corner of the living room. Her stomach rumbled. For the first time in nearly six years she did not feel nauseous in any way and the rich smell of home made food awoke a welcomed and much longed-for feeling of hunger within her, and with a content smile grazing her lips she made her way to the kitchen.   
  
***   
  
"Something's up," Tess said in the phone.   
  


"What?"   
  


"Max left Roswell two days ago, taking Isabel, Maria and Michael with him - and they haven't been back yet."   
  


"What?!! Why didn't you go with them?!"   
  


"I-I-I didn't know they were going to leave. They never told me!"   
  


"Of course they didn't tell you! They don't trust you!"   
  


"Yes, they do!!" Tess whined.   
  


"I'm tired of playing games, Tess. You blew it a long time ago and I let you continue anyway because you're our only direct link to them! But that's a mistake I won't make again."   
  


"Don't talk to me th-"   
  


"Shut up, Tess! You will still be monitoring them, but you will not do anything. Do you hear me?! You don't even breathe wrong without my permission! If you screw this up - anymore than you already have - I will personally see through it that you'll be eliminated."   
  
Nasedo slammed the receiver down. He had heard some disturbing rumors from his allies back on Antar that an heir to the throne had been born - an heir to Max. The pressure on him was huge. If he was to do one thing incorrectly they probably would have him executed and have his head served as an offer to Khivar on a silver plate.

TBC...


	24. Book 1 Chapter 25

Thank you everyone for the feedback!!!

**Fichic** – You wondered how old Emma was. She's five. :-D

**Chapter 25**   
  
Emma yawned.   
  


"Em, you're tired?" Liz asked with a smile.   
  


Emma firmly shook her head.   
  


"Na huh...I'm"   
yawn   
"not"   
yawn   
"tired"   
  


"Of course you aren't," Liz said. "So how about getting some sleep before you fall off your chair."   
  


Emma started to giggle at the visions her head conjured at that statement.   
  


"Yep, she's tired all right," Maria stated, watching the little girl giggle uncontrollably.   
  


Liz rose from her chair and lifted Emma from her chair.   
  


"C'mere honey, I'll read you a book."   
  


"I want daddy to dwead a book," Emma said and yawned again.   
  


Liz turned and, with a smile on her face, captured Max's eyes. Liz arched one of her eyebrows in a questioning expression. Max shrugged.   
  


"Of course, sweety," Max said and rose. He relieved Liz from her daughter's weight, placing her on his hip - nestling her small, yet compact, body against his. Emma yawned again and leaned her head on Max's shoulder, her arms and legs dangling limply in the air from exhaustion. Max held her securely with both hands around her waist. Liz gave Emma a kiss on the cheek, Max stealing a sniff of the smell of her hair as she came close. Strawberry and vanilla.   
  
Liz smothered Emma's hair.   
  


"Okay honey. You be nice to your daddy. Deal?"   
  


"Uh huh," Emma nodded with her eyes half open. Max chuckled.   
  


"I don't think she will be too much of a problem," he said softly.   
  


"Don't let her cute appearance fool you," Liz said with a secretive smile. "Night, pumpkin."   
  


"Nite, mommy," Emma said and she and her daddy was off to bed.   
  


"Okay Liz. We have _a lot_ to talk about," Maria said. "You know, in a non-testosterone environment."   
  


  
***

  
Liz closed the front door after Maria's departure. Michael had left after dinner, which he had cooked (and it had tasted wonderfully!), leaving only Max, Emma, Liz and Maria. After thirty minutes of girl-talk, Maria reluctantly announced that she probably should get going and she had called for Michael to pick her up. They all had school to go back to in the morning - including Max. But so far, he hadn't said a word about what he planned on doing about that. Liz didn't know if he was going back to school tomorrow or was to skip classes or what. She knew that she probably had to work, so it would be of no greater use for him to stick around in the apartment tomorrow anyway. 

Liz walked back into the kitchen, took her cup of tea and headed for Emma's room intending to find out the reason to Max's extended absence. She knew that Emma could suddenly turn into a bundle of energy just when she was about to go to sleep, no matter how tired she might have been earlier, and it was difficult to get her to lay down and relax. And Max had been 'tucking her in' for about thirty minutes now. As she approached the door to Emma's room, which had been left slightly ajar, she heard no voices. It was very quiet. She silently pushed the door open and leaned against the door frame, her cup in her hand, taking in the picture in front of her. Emma was laying in her bed - sound asleep. Max was sitting in Indian style on the floor beside Emma's bed, watching his daughter with admiration, pride and love shining in his eyes. He was sitting there, watching his daughter as he used to watch Liz hour after hour in the CrashDown. He made no indication of revealing that he knew that Liz was there, until he spoke. His voice soft and tender, yet so full of emotions.   
  


"I can't believe that we made this wonderful child."   
  
Liz felt her heart swell and she couldn't help but smile.   
  


"Well, we did," she said as she slowly made her way into the room. She put her tea cup on Emma's chest of drawers and sat down next to Max on the floor. His eyes didn't leave Emma's still figure for a second, as his hand reached out and took a hold of Liz's. Liz laced her fingers with his, placing their entwined hands in her lap.   
  


"We did a good job, huh?" Liz asked.   
  


"_You_ did a good job," Max corrected, squeezing her hand. "She's perfect, Liz. She's smart, warm, caring and just as beautiful as her mother."   
  


Liz blushed.   
  


"Thank you, Liz," Max said.   
  


Liz nodded, understanding just how much laid behind those simple words.   
  


"Actually, I don't think _I_ raised _her_. I think she raised me," Liz said. "Without her I would have been six feet under by now."   
  


"I don't agree with you," Max said. Liz looked at him.   
  


"What do you mean, Max Evans?" She asked impishly.   
  


"I'll never met anyone as strong-willed as you. I've never met anyone with a greater will to survive and live. And I don't think I ever will. I don't doubt for a second that Emma kept you going - gave you meaning to life. However, I also know that the Liz Parker I knew would not give up without a fight - how long and difficult that fight might ever be."   
  


Liz felt tears stinging her eyes, moved by his sincere words, but mostly touched by the faith and trust he still had for her. They sat in silence for a while, watching their daughter sleep peacefully. Emma still lived in oblivion to the life she had been given. She was still happily unaware of the fact that she was really an alien princess on a far away planet - even if she wanted it or not.   
  
Liz lovingly stroke Emma's hair with her right hand, holding Max's hand in her other. She could feel that Max had something on his mind, but he wasn't talking. She could still read him, as he could read her - even without the connection.   
  


"What are you thinking?" Liz asked.   
  


"What?" Max asked, pulled out of his thoughts by her gentle voice.   
  


"Would you like to tell me what's on your mind, Max?" Liz asked.   
  


"It's just... I wasn't here," Max said. Liz closed her eyes, letting his voice fill her - absorbing it, taking his words to her heart. "I wasn't here when she was born. I wasn't here when she got her first tooth. I wasn't here when she said her first word. I wasn't here when she took her first steps. I've missed out on so many things, Liz."   
  


Liz took a deep breath. She knew that he was going to feel like this. Max had never chosen to be away from his child. If he had known that he had a child - if he had been able to get to her - he would have. He would do anything to be with his child, to be a part of his child's successes, accomplishments and failures. And he had tried - he had done everything in his power and even more than that to find his child and the love of his life. But a person who didn't want to be found was not impossible to find, but very hard.   
Liz moved around to face Max. She took his other hand, making him turn towards her. She took both of his hands in hers and looked him deeply in the eyes.   
  
"Max, I'm sorry that you missed so much of your daughter's life. But Emma and I have managed pretty well anyway, haven't we?" Max did not look convinced. "Okay, as well as could be expected under the circumstances. But _you_ didn't choose to do this Max. If you had known that you had a child and known where that child was you would _never_ abandon it - never. The point here Max is that we have the rest of our lives to spend together. She's four. She still has so many things left to experience. Her first crush, her first date, her driver's license, her graduation, her first boyfriend, her wedding. Max, we can't go back. You've missed some big things with her, but there are so many things left to go through."   
  


Tears were pooling Max's eyes as he leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips over hers - his lips lingering a bit too long to count as a brief kiss. Liz inhaled deeply as feelings awoke and sizzled through her - feelings only Max's kisses could awake.   
  


With her eyes still closed, Liz murmured, "I have something for you."   
  


Max tried to get his emotions under control, trying very hard not to let his imagination go places it shouldn't go at Liz's statement.   
  


"You have something for me?" he asked slowly.   
  


Liz opened her eyes and smiled at him.   
"Yes, I do," she affirmed, her voice secretive as she rose from her sitting position, pulling Max along with her. "Follow me."   
  


Max looked at her confused, but complied without any questions.   
  
Liz dragged him out of Emma's bedroom, into the living room.   
  


"Sit," she ordered Max and he speechlessly sat down on the couch.   
  


"What are you doing, Liz?" he asked as Liz started removing books from the plain bookshelf.   
  


"Just hold on a sec," she said. From the bookshelf she started to unload videotapes. They were small - the ones you put in a video camera. She opened a drawer and took out a regular-sized videotape, which had a space for the smaller videotape to be placed in - so that the small videotape could be run in a regular VCR. She placed one of the small videotapes in the big one, plugging it into the VCR. She turned on the TV and took a seat beside Max. Max's eyes followed her every move, his facial expression a mixture of sheer bewilderment, curiosity and excitement. Without a word, Liz picked up the remote control and pressed 'play'.   
  


At first the TV screen was black, but then the image shifted to display the legs of a chair. Then a little baby came into view. Liz watched Max's face the whole time. His eyes were fixed on the TV screen, but his whole face was like an open book. Thousand emotions flickered over his face as he saw the baby sleeping soundly on the screen, her beautiful brown eyes closed and her chubby cheeks rosy. As he realized that he was watching a home video of his daughter as a baby his eyes pooled up with tears, and he reached out and pulled Liz close to his side. Without a word, he affectionately kissed the crown of her head, putting more feeling and emotion in that small act that any words could describe. Liz had documented it all on film. She had been there to film all the things Max regretted missing. She had given him an indirect link to the years he had missed.   
  
***

  
Max removed the remote control from Liz's hand and turned off the VCR and the TV. Liz laid with her head positioned in his lap, her legs pulled up in a fetal position - sound asleep. He wiped away the tears that had silently fallen down his cheeks. Careful not to wake her, he disentangled himself from her warm and comforting weight. It wasn't easy. She had a handful of his shirt in her hand, and even in her sleep she struggled not to be separated from him. He pried of her hand and took a pillow, which he gently put under her head. He found a blanket and draped it over her. With a kiss on her forehead he left the living room and walked back into Emma's bedroom. He sat in there into the small hours of the morning, just watching her sleep.   
  


***  
  
Liz awoke with a feeling of disorientation and pulled the blanket closer to her body, trying to fight off the morning chill that threatened to invade her body. It was still dark outside, and she looked at her watch and found it to be 4.30 a.m. She clutched the blanket close to her body and rose, feeling a faint feeling resembling headache, a warning of the headache that was gradually returning. Her bare feet made no sound as she made her way towards her bedroom. She was still half asleep, as she made her way inside the complete darkness of her room. She felt her way to the bed and pulled away the covers and with a yawn she crawled into bed. However, she soon discovered that she was not alone, she was not the only one to reach the decision to sleep in that bed tonight. As she crept down under the covers, she felt a small familiar warm body beside her. She inwardly smiled and crept up to the small body, relishing in the warm human contact. As she put her arm around her daughter's still form, her hand touched skin, which texture was slightly different from her daughter's, and her sleep-induced brain vaguely came to the conclusion that it was Max before she with a content smile drifted off to sleep again.

TBC...


	25. Book 1 Chapter 26

Hi guys! *blushes* I'm sooo sorry that I haven't been updating in awhile. I promise, it is not my intention at all, real life is just sucking the energy out of me... But here is the next part..um... maybe I should like post two just to make up for the absence and thank you for your support and feedback. Yes, I think I'll do that :D 

_Thank you sooo much for reading!!_

**Chapter 26**   
  


BEEP BEEP BEEP 

Liz groaned and turned, pulling the covers over her head to block out the annoying sound and the bright morning light.   
  


"Mommy, mommy," Emma mumbled beside her. "I want pancakes."   
  


"Uh huh," Liz murmured and pulled the covers closer, having no intention of going anytime soon, definitely not to make pancakes. She felt someone snuggle closer to her and then she suddenly had her daughter tucked in under her chin.   
  


"Mommy, pwease wake up! I'm hungwy!" Emma said, letting in the light as she started to pull away the covers. Liz blinked and groaned, as she simultaneously fought Emma for the cover. 

"Liz," a soft voice said and then the owner of that beautiful voice was working as a accomplice to her daughter, pulling the covers away from her head and effectively removing her refuge. 

"Liz, it's morning," he said again and she felt his hand thread through her hair, gently removing the traces of sleep. 

"Uh huh," Liz said, not feeling too excited about leaving the warm and cozy bed.   
  
Max smiled at her. She was laying on her side, the covers up to her ears with Emma having crawled under the covers, completely vanishing from underneath it. Emma was not the most tranquil child. She was moving around - fully awake and with new energy, removing the covers more and more in the process. However, Liz was not the first to give and she held on to the covers for dear life. Max took away his hand from her hair and reached under the covers to pull out Emma. Emma was as easy to catch as an eel and Max had to put quite some effort in removing her from her mother. 

"Emma, c'mere. Let's leave your mommy alone and we can go and make some breakfast," Max said temptingly. 

Bribes certainly worked. 

"Yay!" Emma cried and started bouncing up and down in the bed.   
  


"Emma, please," Liz mumbled in a pleading voice.   
  


Max caught Emma in mid air and lifted her out of the bed.   
  


"Okay, calm down little lady," he said.   
  
Liz could hear Emma's giggles as she and Max left the room. She took a deep breath and rolled on her back, staring at the ceiling - trying to accustom her eyes to the light. Her heart swelled with love as she heard her daughter's and Max's voices mixing with the kitchen noises out in the kitchen. That was something she had never thought she would hear. She had given up years ago on ever leading a normal life. She had taken what she had, and tried to make her daughter's existence as tolerable as possible - but that was about all she could concentrate on. She would have had difficulties going on with her life if she was to start contemplating about her miserable situation. By focusing on her daughter and keeping her daughter happy she found an easy way out of her reality. She lazily stretched her arms out above her head, yawning as her body stretched out. She looked at the time on the bedside clock. She really should get up. It was Monday morning and she had to get Emma to day care and then head off to work. She didn't really know what she should do. She and Max still hadn't discussed the future yet. They had somehow left it hanging - perhaps too afraid to discuss it. That discussion would probably bring forward too many emotions. Liz was almost convinced that she didn't have a future, that she could soon die....and Max was afraid of the very same thing although he didn't want to face the truth yet - even though it was staring him straight in the eye.   
  
Liz pulled her legs out from underneath the covers and shivered as her bare feet touched the cold floor. She realized that she was still in her regular clothes from yesterday and her whole body screamed for a shower. Retrieving a robe from the closet, she made her way out of the bedroom - the smell of pancakes teasing her sense of smell during her journey to the bathroom.   
  
  
"Emma, why don't you sit down and I'll get the syrup," Max said as he placed his hands under Emma's arms and lifted her off the counter she had mounted in order to retrieve the bottle of syrup from one of the cabinets. Max put her down in her chair and got the syrup himself. 

"Daddy, will you take me to the day ware today?" Emma asked, trying to cut the pancake into pieces only using a fork as a tool.   
  


"I guess I can go with you and your mommy today as she gets you there," Max said, pouring coffee into two cups. 

"Can we go in your big car?" Emma asked excited.   
  


Max smiled for himself as he pulled out two spoons from one of the drawers.   
  


"Yes, we can go in my car," he answered.   
  


"Yay!!" Emma cried enthusiastically. 

Emma had given up on cutting the pancake into pieces and reached for the syrup, practically drowning the pancake in syrup. With sticky fingers she tried to eat the pancake by biting bits directly off the pancake instead. Perhaps it had been somewhat successful if she had managed to keep the pancake _on_ the plate but this is a four-year-old we're talking about here. She took the pancake in her small hands, finding her hands a much more useful tool than the fork, and moved it to her mouth, dripping syrup in her lap and over her chin as she took the first bite.   
  
Max turned around just in time to witness his daughter's imaginative solution to not being able to slice food by herself, and not asking for help.   
  


"Emma," he sighed, and grimaced as he gently took the sticky pancake from her. "Haven't your mommy told you that you're suppose to eat pancakes with syrup, not syrup with pancakes." 

Emma looked up at him in confusion. 

"I lub syrub," she said with a wide grin, syrup still dripping from her chin.   
  


"Okay," Max said. "Let's get you washed up."   
  


"I wanna do dat," Emma said and headed for the bathroom, where she had her own stool to stand on in order to reach up to the sink. Max trotted after her, having learned his homework when it came to leaving Emma alone, oblivious to the fact that Liz was right now in the very same bathroom he was directing his steps towards - taking her morning shower. 

"Mommy!" Emma cried as she opened the bathroom door.   
  


Max stopped dead in his tracks. 

"We're gonna go in daddy's big car and I'm stwicky," Emma announced in one breath.   
  


Max was still standing outside the bathroom, wondering if he should go in or not.   
  


"What's that, honey?" Liz said, the running water muffling her voice and all sounds trying to reach her.   
  
"I'm gonna wash!" Emma said a little louder. 

"Okay pumpkin," Liz said. 

Max was still trying to decide his next move. Sure, he had seen Liz...uhm..naked before - they had been intimate. The problem was that was five years ago. Emma decided to make the decision 'easier' for him.   
  


"Daddy," she said, her breathing heavy from having pulled out the stool and climbed up on it. 

"I need helb! I cannot get the swoab." 

Max took a deep breath and stepped into the bathroom. The bathroom mirror was steamed up from the heat from Liz's shower. But that was of no interest at all to Max as his attention was caught by the form partly visible through the shower curtain. The curtain partly dimmed the contours of her body, but Max could easily make up for the rest with the use of his imagination.   
  


"Daddy, can you helb me?" Emma asked again, a hint of annoyance in her stance and voice.   
Daddy jerked his head away from mommy and tried to re-focus on the daughter. He reached for the soap, but his hand stopped in mid-air as Liz poked her head out from the curtain. 

"Emma, can you-" Then she noticed that Max was there too and her voice trailed off.   
  
"Oh..hey Max. I didn't know you were in here as well," she said, her face turning beet red, and it was not from the warmth of the showers.   
  


"I-I-I was just gonna..uh.." 

"Daddy's helbing me clean my fingers," Emma said. Liz pulled her gaze away from Max. God, she had forgotten how good....okay, gorgeous..he looked in the mornings. It didn't really ease the situation that she was standing stark naked in the same room as him with only a curtain between them - a white curtain that was semi-translucent. Liz looked at her daughter and couldn't help but giggle as she noticed her appearance. 

"What have you done, sweetie?" she asked. "Did you guys have a food fight or something?"   
She directed her eyes back to Max, for the moment forgetting about her nudity and the situation they had found themselves in. 

  
"We...uh...we were making pancakes," Max said, embarrassed at his lack in skills in taking care of _one_ four-year-old.   
  


"You were, huh?" Liz smiled. "Why don't you help her with the soap and I'll be right out. I can't wait to see the kitchen!"   
  
  
Max quickly took the soap and handed it to Emma. In the following minutes he learned that syrup sure was sticky and difficult to get rid of, but with some discreet cheating with powers the problem was soon solved. Two minutes later, Emma was as good as new. Well, she certainly needed a change of clothes as well, but Max didn't want to change her into anything new as long as she had yet to finish her breakfast. 

Emma hopped down from the stool and before Max had a chance to react, Emma was out of the bathroom, vanishing from his vision. He was just about to go after her when Liz's voice reached his ears. 

"Max...are you still there?" 

"Yeah," he said. "But I'll leave you alone now."   
  


"No," Liz quickly said. Max stopped. "Can you hand me a towel?"   
  


"Sure," Max said. 

"They're in the cabinet under the sink," Liz said.   
  


Max crouched in front of the cabinet, opened it and pulled out a large white towel. He went up to the shower. 

"Here," he said and looked the other way as Liz extended her arm out from the shower, taking the towel from him.   
  
"Thanks," she said. 

"No problem," Max said. 

There was a pause. 

"Maybe you should go," Liz said, and Max realized that he was still standing beside the shower curtain, time seemingly having stopped as her wet hand had touched his as she was taking the towel from him.   
  


"Oh, sorry," Max mumbled and left the bathroom. Liz smiled as she stepped out of the shower. He was just so adorable!   
  
----------------------------------------------------.   
  
Liz was sitting on the bus, heading home. She had just finished her shift at the first work of the day and she was to take a shower, change clothes and then fetch Emma from the day care. When they came home they were to eat something and have some time together. Later in the evening - after Liz had tucked Emma in bed and gotten some sleep herself, normally the baby-sitter would arrive to take care of Emma as Liz departed for her shift at her night work. However, today Maria had said she would watch Emma as she slept instead. So Maria would be getting there in about four hours.   
  
The bus came to a halt and she stepped off it. The bus station wasn't located too far away from her apartment, which was really good. She had approximately fifty meters of walking ahead of her. As she walked she thought about the morning. After Max and she had cleaned up after Emma's syrup adventure (which actually only had taken Max a sweep of his hand to clean up), and Liz had cut Emma's pancakes into smaller pieces, they had all sat down and enjoyed eating breakfast together - like a normal family. Max had told them a little about what he was doing now and to Emma's great disappointment he had been forced to inform her that she had to go back to day care and he had to go back to his school because he had lessons to go to. Max had driven Liz and Emma to the day care. Liz didn't own a car - she didn't have too much money, and most of the money she made went to Emma, either directly or indirectly. Some went to a fund Liz had put up to be able to give Emma a good education. After saying good-bye to Emma, and Emma had reluctantly released her daddy from the bear hug she had captured him in, Max had taken Liz to her work and with a 'Call me if you need anything' he had been off.   
  
Liz walked up to her apartment door and put the key in the lock and turned. She frowned as the key didn't turn in the lock and unconsciously she pressed down the door handle. The door drifted open and she realized that it hadn't been locked. Fear gripped her as she slowly pushed the door open. Leading an isolated life and always looking over her shoulder, she would _never_ forget to lock the door. That's what paranoia did to you. As the door opened up and she was looking into her apartment she gasped and took a step back, her heart slamming in her chest. 

The living room was a mess. The few books that she had were spread over the floor, the couch was destroyed, its upholstery spread over the floor. Glass had been broken, the content of a trash bin had been scattered over the floor. It seemed as if someone had been searching for something. Liz felt her legs shaking. She felt watched and naked. Vulnerable. She hastily backed out from the apartment and without knowing how, she made it around the corner of the house. Leaning against the wall, she pulled out the cell phone Max had bought her the other day and dialed Max's cell phone.   
  
--------------------------------------------.   
  
"Hi Max!" 

  
Max tensed up at the sound of her voice, and he had to take deep breaths to get his anger under control before he turned around and met Tess's face.   
  


"Oh, hi Tess," he said, as he closed the door to his dorm room. He was surprised at how calm he managed to sound. Those years of hiding a secret, and controlling his emotions certainly paid off. 

"So, what have you've been up to this weekend?" Tess said casually. "All of you guys were just like missing in action."   
  


Max looked at her, trying to understand how he could ever have considered her as his friend. How he could have turned to _her_ for comfort as he had found Liz in bed with Kyle. Here she stood, the woman who had deliberately planned to destroy his life - and almost succeeding as well. The woman...bitch...who had stolen four years of his daughter's life from him. He clenched his fist tighter, before he returned his thinking to the plan to act normal and not suspiciously. 

"We took a trip to Las Cruces," Max said, his voice even and calm, not in any way giving away the lie. 

  
"Oh," Tess said.   
  


"Yeah, Kyle said you were busy," Max said, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans to keep them from strangling Tess.   
  


"Really...he did?" Tess asked.   
  
"Yeah, he did," Max said as they started walking down the corridor, heading for their next and first lesson which they just 'happened' to have together. Another one of Tess's methods of always 'being there' for Max.   
  


"He told me that you had this date with that Billy guy," Max continued.   
  


Kyle actually had told Max that Tess had a date, but Kyle had also informed Max that Tess had never been the least interested in Billy - she had more or less hated his guts. Hence, Kyle had found it a bit odd that Tess suddenly was dating him. 

"Oh...right, I had," Tess said, inwardly kicking herself for picking such a bad day to make Max jealous on. If she had decided to go out on a date with that moron Billy another day, she would have been free to go with them, or she had a reason to ask why she didn't get invited if they didn't ask her to come along. She knew that she wasn't wanted on whatever they had been up to all weekend. But as she eyed Max out of the corner of her eye, even _she_ noticed that something was different about him. She was certain he was trying his best to act casual and his ordinary self. But some of the sadness in his readable eyes was gone and he seemed more relaxed - some of the regular tension in his body had disappeared. 

"So how was it?" Tess said and Max turned his head towards her. Was that suspicion in his eyes? But just as soon as Tess thought she had seen something different in his eyes it was gone, replaced with calmness.   
  


"How was what like?" he asked, slightly confused.   
  
"The trip. To Las Cruces," Tess clarified, a frown of suspicion settling on her forehead.   
  


"Oh, it was great," Max said. "How was your date?"   
  


Tess couldn't help but smirk at the fact that he had asked about the date. So, he was interested! 

"It was just wonderful!" she chirped. 

"That's good," Max said, his voice more or less indifferent. Tess eyed him sourly. Wasn't he the least jealous?! 

Just then Max's cell phone rang. 

"Excuse me for one sec, Tess," Max said as he hauled up the cell phone from his pocket and pressed the 'connect'-button.   
  


"Hello?" he said. 

"Max," a voice sobbed. 

Max jerked his head up in Tess's direction, seeing that he was under strict surveillance. He lowered his voice some, careful not to let his voice reveal how distressed and frightened he was at hearing the state of her voice.   
  


"What's wrong?" 

"I-I need you," she said, her voice shaking. "Someone broke into the apartment. They might still be there." 

"Stay right where you are. I'll be there as fast as I can, okay?" Max said.   
  


"Okay," she whispered. Max wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he knew that he couldn't do that as long as Tess was listening.   
  


"I'll be right there," Max said and disconnected the call.   
  
"Who was that?" Tess asked, trying to sound interested.   
  


Max looked at her, Liz's frightened and sobbing voice still fresh in his memory, and tried to figure out why he had decided to not make Tess suffer.   
  


"It was Isabel - her car broke down. I'll have to go and help her," Max said. "Can you do me a favor, Tess?" 

"Sure," Tess said and lightened up. She loved when Max asked her to do things. That meant that she could make him happy and if he was happy then maybe he would see how good she was for him and he could turn to her. And then they would get together. Yep, real Tess-logic there. 

"Can you tell the professor that I had a family emergency," which was actually the truth, "and that I had to leave?" 

"Sure," Tess said. 

"Thanks," Max said. 

Before Tess had a chance to tell him that she would do anything for him, Max was disappearing down the hallway, his steps hurried. As Tess watched his retreating back she thought she saw some of the old tension settling in his shoulders again. She instinctively knew that something was going on and forgetting all about doing Max any favors, she started walking down the corridor - having her own car as destination.

TBC... 


	26. Book 1 Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**   
  
  


Max brought the car to a screeching halt and Michael threw forward by the sudden stop. He wasn't even going to comment on Max's reckless driving. Max had called him on his cell phone, practically ordering him to get out on the parking lot in front of his apartment complex, and Max would pick him up. Michael knew even before Max told him, that this had something to do with Liz. Nothing else could get him so reeled up. Max was out of the car in a millisecond and Michael reached over and applied the handbrake, to keep the car from wheeling backwards, before he rushed after Max.   
  
  
Max searched the surroundings frantically. Where was she?   
  


"Michael! Do you see her anywhere?" he said, his voice strained. He didn't feel comfortable calling after her. If someone was left here, he didn't want them to know that Liz was here.   
  


"No," Michael answered.   
  


Max run up the stairs heading for Liz's apartment. That's where he found her, in the same place she had made the phone call to him. She was sitting on the ground, her legs pulled up to her stomach. As she heard steps in the stairs she looked up, fear in her big brown eyes. As she saw him she rose to her feet and she didn't have to wait long to have his protective arms wrapped around her.   
  


"You're okay?" he asked, pulling her an arm-lengths away from her to look her over.   
Liz nodded. "I am now."   
  


"I'm not leaving you alone again," Max murmured, hating that the feeling that he had lost her again had gotten the chance to reclaim its grip on him.   
  


"Max, I don't know if there's still someone left," Liz whispered, the fear still evident in her voice. She felt violated. Someone she didn't know had been in her home, going through her personal things.   
  
"Michael," Max said, as Michael came up the stairs. "Can you go and see if anyone is still in the apartment?"   
  


Michael nodded and disappeared again. Max pulled Liz close to him.   
  


"It's okay," he mumbled. He felt Liz nod against his chest. They stood like that, close together, arms around each other until Michael returned a few minutes later.   
  


"There's no one there," he said. Max and Liz broke apart, and Max reached down and took Liz's hand.   
  


"What did they take?" Liz asked.   
  


"I don't know," Michael said, shaking his head. Together they walked to Liz's apartment. "But something's not right here, Maxwell."   
  


"What?" Max asked, not liking the sound of that.   
  


"Whoever broke in wasn't searching after the regular stuff a burglar would break in for," Michael said. They stepped into the apartment and Liz realized what Michael was talking about.   
  


"The TV and VCR are still here," Michael said.   
  


Liz let go off Max's hand and stepped into her once peaceful home. She moved to her bedroom and took forward the small box where she put money for groceries. The box wasn't difficult to find - it wasn't even locked. It was just an ordinary cookie box. But as she opened it and counted the money she found the amount to correspond to the amount she had left there.   
  


"What have they taken if they haven't taken the TV, the VCR or any money?" Max asked as he looked at her from the doorway.   
  
"Maybe it's something alien," Michael's voice reached them from the living room. Liz head shoot up and she quickly put the money back in the box and brushed past Max, who quickly moved to the side to let her pass.   
  


"It looks like someone was searching for something," Michael said, his eyes fixed on Liz as she started to rummage through the bookshelf and then went on to search the piles of books on the floor. 

  
Max went up to stand beside Michael, his eyes also following Liz's frantic movements.   
  


"What are you looking for?" Michael asked her.   
  


She straightened up, hurt and sadness, mixed with anger in her eyes.   
  


"They're gone," she said, her voice hollow.   
  


"What's gone?" Michael asked.   
  


"The videotapes, they're all gone," Liz said and then she seemed to remember something and she crouched down in front of the VCR and pressed the eject button. A videotape was ejected and she slowly took it in her hand, hugging it to her chest - tears trickling down her cheeks.   
  


"All, except this one. The last one you watched, Max."   
  
Max looked at her, anger seizing him. Last night Liz had made it able for him to experience some of the moments of watching his daughter grow up and now someone had taken that away from him as well.   
  


"What tapes?" Michael asked, completely in the dark.   
  


"I filmed Emma as she was growing up," Liz said. "I showed them to Max yesterday, but now whoever has broken in has stolen them."   
  


"Why would someone steal home videos? That doesn't make any sense at all!" Michael said.   
  


"No.." Max whispered, fear slamming into him as he realized what had happened here. "These weren't regular burglars. They were aliens, they searched for information...and they found it."   
  


Liz eyes went large with horror.   
  


"Emma," she gasped and then she was out the door, running towards the parking lot.   
  


"Michael, call Kira and wait here," Max ordered before he too vanished out the door.   
  
---------------------------------------------

  
Max and Liz walked quickly down the corridor until they reached Emma's classroom. Without bothering to knock, Liz ripped the door open. Max quickly assessed the room he found himself in. Children were allocated throughout the room, engrossed in various playing activities. They all turned their heads as the worried parents stormed into the room.   
  


"Elizabeth," Ms. Harris said and walked up to the visitors. She looked at the man holding Elizabeth hand in a death grip and soon recognized him. "Max, right?"

   
Max looked at her, and opened his mouth to respond but Liz beat him to it.   
  


"Where's Emma?"   
  


Ms. Harris looked at the distressed parents. Something was not right here. Elizabeth seemed scared to death. However, when she looked at Max she was amazed by the dormant power he was emitting. He radiated authority, and self-assertiveness. But she also noticed the worry that etched his features.   
  


"Uh...she's in the bathroom," Ms. Harris said.   
  


Liz started walking towards the bathroom, and Max was close behind her - but his steps were hindered as Ms. Harris reached out her hand and stopped him.   
  


"What's going on?" she asked. She had never seen anyone so worried before. "And why are you here?"   
  


Max looked at her, and gently removed her hand from his arm.   
  


"We need to take our daughter home," he said.   
  
"Why?" Ms. Harris said, not even bothering to ask if this man really was Emma Owens long lost father.   
  


"She will not be coming back for a while. We have a little family emergency and we have to go away for some time. We will call you later with further information."   
  


His determined look told her that she wouldn't get more out of him than that and that's when Elizabeth came back - Emma cradled in her arms. Ms. Harris couldn't help but be amazed by how a silent communication seemed to be going on between Elizabeth and Max. Elizabeth was somehow informing Max that Emma was okay and Max took Emma from her arms and held her tight to his chest. The most amazing thing was that Emma didn't say a thing. It was as if she could feel her parents distress and she didn't question it. It was like she knew that the best thing to do was to stay quiet.   
  


"Do me a favor...uhm," Max began, searching his memory for her name.   
  


"Anne," Ms. Harris said.   
  


"Anne, if anyone asks for Emma, don't give them any information," Max said. Ms. Harris got the strange feeling that he was ordering her, but at the same time she had no problem with that. She somehow knew that they were in danger and she couldn't let anything happen to little Emma.   
  


"I'll do whatever I can," Anne said.   
  


Elizabeth smiled at her gratefully.   
  


"Thank you, you've done tons already," she said, and then the small family was gone - just as quickly as they had arrived.   
  
-------------------------------------------------------

  
The light-blue eyes followed the couple as they quickly made their way towards the car in the parking lot.   
  


"What the hell?!" the person hissed as the child, tucked into the familiar man's arms, came into view. The person waited until the car pulled out of the parking lot outside the day care center before the person turned the car and ignited the engine, pulled out from its hiding place and onto the road - following the car on a distance that wouldn't cause any suspicions.   
  
--------------------------------------------------------

  
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Liz demanded to know, anger in her voice. She was sitting on the couch in Michael's and Maria's apartment, Emma sitting on her lap. Michael was standing in the background, leaning against one of the walls, and Max was pacing the floor. Kira was sitting in one of the arm-chairs facing Liz, and he was just about to witness what Liz Parker was really about. You didn't keep information from her that could put her loved ones in danger. 

  
"I didn't want to upset you," Max said.   
  


"Upset me?!" Liz said in disbelief. "If this is how you're going to protect me, Max, I don't need your protection! Emma and I have been doing just fine for four years without you. We can protect ourselves. But I can't protect my daughter if I don't know the whole truth!"   
  


"I'm sorry, Liz-" Max started but Liz interrupted him.   
  


"No, Max. Don't say you're sorry. I don't want you to be sorry - I want you to be honest with me."   
  


Max nodded, understanding what his effort in keeping Liz safe from the truth could have cost him.   
  


"How long have our enemies known about Emma?" Liz asked.   
  


"They probably found out not so long after Emma's birth," Kira answered. Liz nodded sadly, pulling Emma closer to her. Emma, feeling her mother's distress looked up at her mother's resolute jaw.   
  


"Mommy, why are you scared?" she asked.   
Liz looked down into her daughter's amber eyes and gave her a tender smile.   
  


"It's nothing, honey," Liz said and stroke her dark hair.   
  


Emma smiled at her, a smile that warmed her mother's heart. Emma knew that her mother wasn't telling the whole truth, but for the time being she was satisfied with the answer.   
  
"Someone called me," Liz said.   
  


Everybody looked at her.   
  


"Who called you?" Max asked.   
  


"That's the problem. I don't know," Liz said. "I was really freaked out about the whole thing. It was a man and he asked questions about Emma. He didn't want to answer any of my questions and he was threatening me, so I hung up."   
  


"When was this?" Max asked.   
  


Liz thought about it for awhile.   
  


"Sometime just after I had enrolled Emma at the day care center...about a month ago."   
  


"Could it have been one of our enemies?" Kira asked.   
  


Without hesitation, Liz nodded. "Definitely."   
  


There was a pause, then Liz spoke. 

  
"Is there anything else I should know, to be able to keep my child safe?" Liz asked.   
  


"One thing is clear, you can't return to your apartment," Kira said.   
  


"And you can't return to Roswell," Michael said.   
  


"Well, that's just great," Liz sighed. "Then where am I and Emma gonna go?"   
  


"You can stay with me," Max said, not wanting to leave neither Liz nor Emma alone anymore. Not when the enemies were so close by. 

  
Liz gave him a weak smile.   
"Don't you live on campus, Max?" Liz asked. "How are you going to fit me _and_ a four-year-old in your room?"   
  
Max scratched behind his ear with his hand.   
"Okay, maybe that's not the best solution," he said.   
  


"Well, you cannot stay here," Michael said bluntly. Max shot him an angry glare.   
  


"What? We don't have any room left. This is a small apartment you know," he said, having seen Max's glare.   
  


"I know, Michael," Liz said. "I'm not gonna force myself on you. We have to find something else."   
  


"Where do you live, Kira?" Max asked Kira.   
  


"Well...I don't know if that's such a good idea," Kira said.   
  


"Let us be the judge of that," Max said.   
  


Kira met his eyes and knew that it would not be wise to argue against him.   
  


"I'm living in a warehouse outside of Roswell," he said, but added quickly. "However, it's absolutely no place for a child."   
  


"That would work, wouldn't it?" Max asked Liz, ignoring Kira's last sentence.   
Liz nodded thoughtfully.   
  


"Yes, that sounds really good," she said, and turned to Kira. "And don't worry about Emma, she'll understand why we have to live there and she will be just fine." She looked down at her daughter. "Won't you, sweetheart?" Emma nodded excitedly. She didn't know what a warehouse was but it was some place new and she had never lived in any other place than the apartment in Santa Fe.   
  
"We'll be fine," Liz said, turning her gaze to Kira.   
  


Kira looked a little uncomfortable. He was here to protect the royal four, and he had been forced to admit that the royal four now included Liz instead of Tess. He would also definitely protect Emma, the heir to the throne, and having them so close by would certainly make it easier. But still, the warehouse was no home. It was just a warehouse, and it was only furnished with a camp-bed and a lamp. He was only there to sleep - nothing else.   
  


"I suggest we head out there now," Max said. "But only Kira, Liz, Emma and I. We don't want to act suspicious and the fewer people that knows about this place the better - for all our sakes."   
  


"Hey, hold on," Michael protested. "You mean, the other of us are not going to be informed of your whereabouts?"   
  


"That's exactly what I mean," Max said. "It will be the safest solution for all of us."   
  


"No, I want to-"   
  


"Michael, we'll keep in touch, okay," Liz said calmly. "If we need anything you'll be the first to know. It's only a precaution and it's probably only for now."   
  


Michael grunted, but didn't object anymore.   
  


"Okay, let's go," Max said.

TBC...


	27. Book 1 Chapter 28

Would you believe it? I'm actually back to update...already :D

I want to thank you all soooo much for the feedback! You guys are the greatest! 

**Charisma4** – Girlfriend, thank you so much for the feedback! You put this really huge smile on my face which lasts for days. I'm serious :D Thank you!

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**mysticvysqiyi** – Really? You think it's amazing? You're making me blush. Thank you so much!!

Okay, since you are all so sweet with your feedback, I'm gonna post two chapters again. 

**Chapter 28**   
  
"Okay, we are definitely going to need some things here if this is going to be our home the following months," Liz said as she put down Emma. They were standing in the middle of the warehouse. Emma started running around the large empty room, her arms out in the air – pretending that she was an airplane, with sound-effects and the whole package. The floor was in concrete, dirty to say the least. The walls were made of sheet-metal, and the room they were standing in now was big enough to hold six cars. In one of the corners were some tires piled, and the room was partly illuminated by the daylight that seeped in through small narrow windows at the top of the walls. That meant that the windows were about three meters above ground, since the ceiling was high. At the north wall were three doors. There was one little area with a sink, a micro-oven and a refrigerator, which probably should be the kitchen. And that was about it.   
"Is there even a bathroom here?" Liz asked Kira.   
"Yes, actually there is," Kira said. "This warehouse were used as a garage before it hit bankruptcy. So there was a small toilet at the back there, and I had a bathtub plus a hand-shower installed as I moved here."   
"Okay," Liz nodded.   
"Are you okay with this?" Max asked. "Otherwise we can find something else."   
  
Liz shook her head. She couldn't deny that it was the perfect hiding place. No one would suspect that she was living in a warehouse. _She_ hadn't even believed that she would ever live in the warehouse. It was not exactly something you planned. Oh, where are you gonna live when you grow up? I always wanted to live in a warehouse - it's always been my dream. No, don't think so.   
"It just needs a woman's touch," she said.   
Max smiled at her, once again amazed by how she just kept going - right through every obstacle.   
"Mommy!! Daddy!! Look me spinning!!" Emma screamed. Max and Liz looked at their daughter as she turned round and round over the big surface area. Her long dark hair was whirling around her face as she spun. Emma's parents' hearts swelled at the carefree way she was laughing as she spun until she fell on her bottom from dizziness.   
"I want to live here," Emma declared, as she tried to get up again.   
"Okay, it's settled then," Liz said, her whole face smiling.   
  
-----------------------------------------------------.   
  
"Mommy, look! Look!!" Liz felt Emma tug her shirt and she reluctantly tore herself away from what she was watching. Emma was holding a stone in her hand. It was an ordinary rock but it was unusually beautiful and Emma was so enthused with her discovery.   
"Oh, that's a beautiful rock, Em," Liz said. "Where did you find it?"   
Emma pointed towards some shrubs growing outside the warehouse.   
"There!" she said.   
"That's really nice. Why don't you take it into our room - it would look nicely there."   
Emma nodded enthusiastically and quickly disappeared inside the warehouse.   
Liz turned her eyes back to what she had been watching before her daughter's interruption. Max, Kira and some of Kira's men were unloading a double bed from the truck they had rented. It was a really hot day, and Max had been forced to take off his shirt. His upper body glistered with sweat in the sun, his firm and taut muscles rippling and moving under his skin as he, Kira and the other two men carried the bed towards the warehouse. Now that was something Liz could watch all day. As they came closer to the door with the bed, where Liz was standing watching them - or Max more correctly - Max smiled at Liz's smiling face.   
"What are you smiling about?" he asked.   
  
"Oh, nothing," Liz said innocently and moistened her lips with her tongue. Something Max certainly noticed. The world seemed to go into slow-motion as he saw Liz tongue dart out between her lips and move over her lips. He shook himself out of it before he totally lost control.   
"Maybe you should instruct us where to put this?" Max said to Liz.   
"Uh huh," Liz said quickly and moved past Kira and Max, moving into the warehouse. Max's eyes darkened as he watched her sway her hips from side to side as she walked in front of them. He felt the blood heating up in his veins, and it was not due to the temperature created by the sun. Max was so focused on Liz's movements that he didn't see the rock that Emma had placed on the ground, when she had forgotten about taking it into the room. Max stumbled forward, almost bringing the bed along with him. The man walking beside Max almost stumbled over the stone as well – and the whole bed wavered in the air. Kira saved Max from complete humiliation by creating a force field with his powers that caught the bed before it could hit the ground. Liz turned around as she heard the commotion and saw the bed hover in the air.   
"Wow!" she heard Emma exclaim behind her, and then Emma was running towards the bed. "Can I ride on dat? Pwease, purty pwease!!" she begged, bouncing up and down - her arms stretched up over her head towards the floating bed.   
  
Liz couldn't help but laugh at Max spread out on the floor on his stomach, Kira's men trying to help Kira with the bed.   
"What are you doing?" she laughed.   
Max looked up at her, his ears red. He was just about to rise from his uncomfortable position as Liz put her soft hand on his naked arm. He froze, feeling the familiar electricity surge through him, with a mixture of deep desire for her.   
It had only been natural for Liz to give Max a hand to help him up, she had not counted on the effect it would have on her body to touch him. Max took a deep breath and while trying to act like nothing had happened he slowly rose - his eyes fixed on a very interesting spot on the ground - and brushed off his pants.   
"Are you okay?" Liz asked, and he looked up to meet her eyes. Her eyes had some of the laughter left in them, but they mostly reflected what he felt.   
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just clumsy," Max said, smiling.   
Liz smiled too, nodding and pointed towards Emma who was now sitting on the hovering bed, Kira standing beside it looking a bit tired by using his energy so much. After all, a double bed was pretty strenuous to lift on your own - using only your mind. Kira's men were standing beside the bed, waiting for instructions from Kira on what to do. He had just told them that they could wait to help him out, since Emma obviously found it exciting with a hovering bed.   
"You've managed to make Emma happy anyway," Liz said.   
"Then it was certainly worth it," Max said.   
  
Liz gave him a warm smile and felt herself drowning in those deep amber eyes of his.   
"Uhm...maybe you should...uhm...help Kira," Liz managed to say. She wanted nothing less than Max forgetting everything about Kira and the bed and instead take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, but that wouldn't really be the sensible thing to do.   
"Yeah, I probably should," Max agreed, not making any movement towards fulfilling what he had just said.   
"Daddy!! Look how high I can jumb!!" Emma cried, giggling.   
Liz and Max tore their eyes away from each other and Max quickly moved towards the bed. It looked pretty dangerous as a four-year-old jumped on a bed levitating one meter above ground.   
"Emma, don't jump so high," Liz said.   
"But it's funny, mommy!" Emma said, and as if to prove it she jumped even higher.   
Liz shook her head at the absurdity of the situation. As other kids in her age were having the best time of their lives on a swinging set, her daughter was bouncing up and down on a double bed that was floating in the air - and she didn't even think it was weird.   
"C'mere, Em," Max said and lifted Emma off the bed. "Kira is tired. It's difficult for him to make the bed fly in the air."   
  
Emma calmed down in Max's arms. He sort of had that effect on people.   
"Kira, you can put down the bed now," Max said, and with a grateful sigh Kira lowered the bed to the ground - his energy almost completely depleted.   
"Sorry, Kwia," Emma said, releasing herself from Max's arms and instead wrapping her small arms as far as they could go around Kira.   
Kira eyes opened wide in surprise as he felt the small body in his arms. In that instant he made a promise to himself, with his heart and not due to a duty, that he was going to protect this little bundle of energy to his last breath.   
  
---------------------------------------------------.   
  
"That bitch is back," Tess said.   
"Please talk so that I can understand you," Nasedo said tiredly. "There are many bitches out there."   
"Liz Parker."   
Nasedo shot up from his chair so violently that he caused the chair to fall backwards.   
"Have you seen her?" he demanded, his voice tight.   
Tess nodded, with a smug on her face.   
"I've seen her _and_ her child," she said.   
Nasedo slammed his fist in the table.   
"Damnit! Then the rumors were true!"   
The smug was instantly wiped off her face, as Tess realized that she hadn't come with such a big sensation as she had anticipated.   
"What rumors?" she asked.   
"That there's an heir to Max," Nasedo said.   
  
"But...but..it can't be Max's," Tess said. "She wasn't pregnant when we kidnapped her, and if she had slept with Max I would have heard about it. They would have said something about it. No one ever hinted anything about that. No, it has to be someone else's baby."   
"No, it's Max's all right," Nasedo said. "The question here is. How could he found her so easily, when we have searched for her for years?"   
Tess remained quiet, pouting over the fact that Max had slept with that bitch - and not with her!   
"Do you realize that this destroys the whole plan," Nasedo said. "I have to cut a new deal in order to get home...but there isn't any other way than using the Granolith!"   
"I want Max! I was suppose to bear the heir to the throne!" Tess whined.   
"Get over yourself, Tess!!" Nasedo ordered. "As your mindwarping doesn't work on him, you have no chance with him!"   
  
--------------------------------------------------------.   
  
"I want home," Emma sobbed. Max looked helplessly at Liz as she walked into the room.   
"What's wrong, pumpkin?" she asked.   
"I miss my room," Emma said.   
"I thought you liked it here, honey," Max said, not quite understanding how the mind of a four-year-old worked.   
Emma defiantly shook her head.   
"I want my tweddy bea," she said.   
"We'll get your teddy bear in the morning," Liz said and stroke Emma's hair. "We have to live here for a while, okay?"   
"But I don't want to," Emma said, tears running down her cheeks. Max's heart broke at her tears. He hated to see her cry.   
"It'll be more fun in the morning," Liz assured. "And the quicker you go to bed, the quicker the morning will come and you can play again."   
  
Emma thought about this for a while and then nodded.   
"But I want my tweddy toborrow," Emma said.   
"Of course," Max said.   
"You want me to tell you a story?" Liz asked.   
Emma nodded.   
"Okay," Liz said and sat down on the bed. She felt Max's arms encircle her waist and pull her towards him. She positioned herself between his legs, and Emma lay her head in Liz's lap - ready to hear the story.   
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------.   
  
Max woke up in the middle of the night by Liz coughing. The coughs were hollow and dry. They were all sleeping in the same bed, which they had done ever since Max found Liz. There had never been any discussion about sleeping arrangements or anything like that. It had only been natural to find comfort in each others' arms. Max had refused to go back to his dorm and he was to call in sick tomorrow, and instead go to Liz's apartment to get a few things. Liz was laying on her side, her arms around Emma who was tucked in under her chin. Liz's back was nestled against Max's chest and he had his arms securely wrapped around both Liz and Emma.   
Max closed his eyes and tried to not listen to Liz's raspy breathing. It was eating him up inside that he wasn't able to heal her completely and the signs of ill-health were rapidly coming back again after having been gone about a day after the healing with the healing stones. But he couldn't block her out. Her coughing and labored breathing was like a knife in his heart. He opened his eyes again and stared into the darkness. There must be something he could do. He moved away from the warmth of Liz's body and then slowly turned her on her back. She groaned a little in her sleep as the warmth of the two bodies that she had been sandwiched between until now was removed and then her raspy coughing filled the silent room.   
  
Max moved his hands to the buttons of her pyjamashirt and slowly unbutton the upper three buttons. He would try to feed her with some of his energy. He knew that when you had a cough you should keep the chest warm, so he figured he could warm her a little. He carefully, in order not to wake her, put his hand under her shirt, on her soft skin. He had to concentrate hard not to react to the feeling of the soft skin of the swell of her breast that was just inches below his palm. He closed his eyes and in the dark room could be seen a bright white light.

TBC...


	28. Book 1 Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**   
  
"Sir, we have retrieved the videotapes," the man said and put down the videotapes in front of the man with the boyish appearance.   
"Excellent," he said.   
As the messenger didn't immediately leave the room, the man behind the desk annoyed waved him off.   
"Now leave!"   
"Yes, sir. Of course, sir." The messenger bowed his head and disappeared out the door.   
The man rose from his seat and plugged one of the videotapes into the VCR.   
A little baby girl with brown hair and brown eyes were crawling on the floor, heading for the camera with outstretched arms – repeatedly voicing the two-syllabus word 'gaga'. Even though the child was only about three months old, the resemblance with her parents was evident.   
"So the rumors were true. Zan does have an heir."   
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------.   
  
"Morning," Liz smiled at Max as he walked out from the small bathroom, his hair wet from the shower.   
"Morning," Max answered, unable to not be affected by her contagious smile. "Where's Emma?"   
"She's outside, with Kira," Liz answered. Max took a seat on one of the chairs. The large storage room had now been furnished with a dining table and some chairs. Liz had made breakfast.   
"Max, thank you," Liz said, as Max reached for the cereals. He met her eyes.   
"For what?" he asked.   
"For what you did tonight," Liz answered.   
Max flushed.   
"You were awake?" he asked.   
Liz nodded.   
  
"Well, I awoke when I felt you," Liz said, and what she said next was so softly that Max barely heard her, "I miss you so much, Max."   
"I miss you too," Max said. The underlying meaning of her statement was not lost to him. They lost themselves in each others' eyes for awhile and then Max poured cereals in his bowl, and reached for the milk.   
"Did it help?" he asked, referring to the healing.   
"Yes, some," Liz answered truthfully. "The cough is gone..for now."   
Max smiled as he poured milk over his cereals. He knew that the symptoms would be returning soon, but he was happy that he could ease the pain for now.   
"That's good," he said.   
"So what are you up to today?" Liz asked.   
"I'm gonna go and get some things from your apartment, and then I'm gonna do some grocery shopping - well, just take care of some things I guess," Max said.   
"That's good," Liz said, feeling a bit sad that she couldn't go with him. She had only been in this warehouse for less than a day, but the isolation was already creeping up on her. However, as long as Max was with her, she didn't feel lonely. But Max was not going to be here today, and she was afraid that would be a problem.   
  
----------------------------------------.   
  
"Nothing, sir," the same man that had given him the videotapes reported.   
"What do you mean 'nothing'! It's a child and a woman. How difficult can it be to find a child and a woman?!"   
"Well, sir. Some of the men claim that they've heard that she's with Zan, sir."   
"She's with Zan?"   
"Yes, sir."   
"We can actually use that to our advantage. If Zan have found her, he will insist on keeping them hidden. But _he_ will probably need to go and buy things. Acting like everything is all right. That's when we'll follow him - and he will lead us straight to them."   
"The men are wondering what we're going to do about Lantier and Ava, sir?"   
There was a pause as he thought out a decision.   
"Have Lantier terminated. For some unknown reason he had already made the royal four believe that he is dead. He's of no use to us as a living dead."   
"And what about Ava, sir?"   
"She is infiltrated in the target group. She can be of some use to us. Check her up. See if the royal four trust her. If they seem to do, contact her and offer her a deal."   
"What deal should she be offered, sir?"   
"It doesn't matter. Make something up. She will not get anything out of it anyway. As soon as we have no use of her any longer she's worth nothing and she will be terminated as well."   
"Yes, sir."   
  
----------------------------------------------.   
  
Max drove around the warehouse and parked the car behind the building.   
"Is something the matter?" Kira asked him as he stepped out of the car.   
"Take Emma inside," Max said. "I don't want her to play outside any longer."   
"Daddy!!!" he heard his daughter's voice and saw her running towards him, with a smile from ear to ear. "You're back!!!"   
Max crouched and caught her as she ran into his open arms. He hugged her close to him, some of the demons in his mind disappearing when he knew that she was all right. He kissed the top of her head and rose with her in his arms.   
"What has happened?" Kira asked suspiciously, as he followed Max and Emma inside the warehouse.   
"I was followed, but I managed to shake them off - I hope," Max said. "The point is, if they ever come out here, they're suppose to believe that this is an abandoned warehouse."   
Kira nodded. Max put Emma down on the ground and headed for Liz's and his bedroom.   
"Is Liz in here?" he asked.   
Kira turned around quickly.   
"I don't think it's such a good idea to go in there," Kira said. Liz had certainly put him in an awful situation earlier, when she had made him promise that Max wasn't to go into the bedroom. Kira was pretty certain that she was to be his future queen and an order was an order. But Max was the king, and his order weighed just as much - if not more.   
"Why?" Max asked suspiciously, his hand on the doorknob.   
"She doesn't want anyone to come in," Kira answered.   
Max couldn't help but feel frightened by that.   
  
"How long has she been in there?" Max asked.   
"About five hours," Kira said.   
Max lifted his hand and knocked on the door.   
"Liz?" he called through the thick door.   
"Don't come in, Max!" he heard Liz's muffled voice answer.   
"What's wrong?" Max asked.   
"Nothing's wrong!" Liz said. "I just wanna be left alone."   
Max paused for a couple of seconds. He didn't buy it.   
"All right, I'm coming in," he said and opened the door. Liz hadn't even bothered to lock the door. She considered that act useless when she lived with a bunch of aliens.   
Liz was laying on her side on the bed, a blanket spread over her. As Max entered, she pulled the blanket higher over her face.   
"Max! Can't you respect that I want some privacy?" Liz said.   
Now when Max didn't have a door separating them, he noticed that her voice sounded different.   
"What's going on, Liz?" he asked and moved closer.   
"Don't come any closer!" Liz said as she heard him move.   
That sure didn't make Max feel any calmer.   
"Liz, please tell me. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together," Max said.   
"I don't want you to see me," Liz said.   
"Why?" Max asked confused.   
"I just don't. Now, can you _please_ leave the room?" Liz begged.   
  
Max looked her over, her small form covered by the green blanket.   
"Let me help you," Max said.   
Liz didn't answer.   
"Liz?"   
Liz inhaled deeply.   
"I look terrible, Max," she said.   
Max smiled. What's that all? She was beautiful to him, didn't she know that?   
"No, you don't," Max said.   
"You haven't seen me, Max," Liz said.   
Max grew suspicious and confused again. What was she talking about?   
"Can you please stop talking in riddles?" Max said.   
Liz took another deep breath.   
"Okay, then help me," she said, her voice barely a whisper.   
Max nodded slowly to himself, before he approached the bed. Now he was scared about what had happened. He kneeled beside her bed and she pulled down the blanket from her face. Max couldn't help but inhale sharply, and Liz grimaced as he did.   
"Oh God, what happened?" Max asked, tracing his fingers along her face. Her face was completely swollen up. She couldn't open her eyes because of the swelling. Her cheeks were swollen, as was her throat.   
"I don't know," Liz answered and Max understood why her voice sounded different. Her lips were swollen as well, and she probably had swelling on the inside of her throat, affecting her vocal cords. "It's probably the blocking."   
  
Max traced her forehead and noticed that she was burning up - she had a fever. He lowered his hand and softly caressed her cheek with his hand, and Liz leaned into it - needing his strength.   
"Maybe it becomes worse when you're not here," she continued. "Maybe I'm addicted to you."   
Max smiled sadly.   
"Normally I would be happy to hear that," he said. "But not under these circumstances. This means that my absence hurts you."   
"Well, it does. I never like it when you're away and now I have to suffer these symptoms as well," Liz tried to joked and made an attempt to smile - but it looked more like a grimace.   
Max threaded his fingers through her hair.   
"Roll over on your back," he said softly.   
Liz nodded and changed position.   
"You don't have swelling anywhere else?" Max asked.   
"No, only my face and my throat," Liz answered.   
"Take some deep breaths and relax," Max said and he saw the tension in Liz visibly disappear. He put his hands on the sides of her head, burrowing his fingertips in her soft hair - and concentrated on her. It didn't take long before he was one with her. He found the water that had accumulated in her tissues, unable to drain from her cells. He focused on making an artificial concentration gradient of the solutes in her tissues to make the water leave her cells with her blood and flow to her kidneys. As the water balance was being restored, Max searched the rest of her body. Searching for any other symptoms. Because he knew Liz Parker. And he knew that if she was suffering from something else, she would not tell him until it was serious. To his surprise, he found that her ankle was sprained - she had seemed to walk normally to him. There was some water in her lungs - the signs of early pneumonia. He took care of that as well before he separated from her. They both shivered as the contact was broken. The feeling of loneliness surging through them. Max looked at Liz and saw that she was once again back to the person before the swelling. However, there was still much left to make her look like the old Liz Parker. Even though she slept good every night - in his arms - she had bruises under her eyes, her skin had a grayish tone and her cheek bones were very prominent.   
  
She opened her eyes, and those big beautiful eyes - that seemed even larger in her emaciated face - met his.   
"Am I still Quasimodo?" she asked.   
Max shook his head. Liz smiled weakly as she rose into sitting position and wrapped her arms around him.   
"Thank you," she said.   
He held her close to him, and realized that now was as good as ever to bring up what he had wanted to talk to her about for ages.   
"Liz, we need to talk," Max said gently.   
Liz pulled away from him, and her confused eyes searched his face.   
"About what?" she asked, her voice even.   
"About what really happened five years ago....when I asked you out to that Gomez concert," Max said, not wanting to say 'when I saw you in bed with Kyle'.   
Liz took a deep breath.   
"How much do you know?" she asked, her fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt.   
"I know what Maria told me, but I want to hear it from you," Max said.   
"Maria told you?" Liz asked. She knew that she should be hurt, but she was merely happy that Maria had done that. If Liz had died, she wouldn't have wanted to take that secret into the grave with her - she had always wanted Max to know. And now she finally had her opportunity to tell him...everything.   
"You know the night when you sang outside my window?" Liz asked.   
Max turned red and looked down at her fingers, still playing with his buttons.   
"That was embarrassing, huh?" he said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.   
"Yes..yes it was," Liz said, giggling a little at the memory of it, but then turned serious again.   
  
"Anyway, behind me up on the balcony stood another version of you."   
Max looked up into her eyes.   
"He said that he was from the future - 2014 - and he wanted to prevent what had happened in that lifetime from happening. So he had the Granolith modified into a time machine, which could be used for time travels."   
Max nodded, not wanting to interrupt her. The biggest shock with this story, he had already gotten through Maria.   
"The future version of you practically told me that the future was destroyed because of our love." Max shook his head at this absurdity. "He told me that Tess left because of us being together. You treated her badly, Max - and she got fed up with it and one day she left. All the four of you formed a complete unit. Without Tess in it, you weren't as strong as you should've been and everything went downhill as our enemies attacked. That's why you came back, in order to stop Tess from leaving. And the fantastic solution to that," Liz couldn't hide the hint of sarcasm in her voice, "was to break us up. The future version of you wanted me to help him make you fall out of love with me."   
Max nodded, her words sinking in.   
"So I tried...and I tried. But you wouldn't let go off me. I _hated_ hurting you over and over again, especially since everything I did to make you stay away from me was a lie. So I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't. You wouldn't give up, so I gave up instead. But that's when the future version of you told me that Michael had died just before he went through the time machine," Max flinched at the mention of his best friend's name, "and Isabel had died two weeks before that." Max swallowed deeply, mentally imagining the loss of his sister. Then he nodded, understanding dawning on him. So, that's why she did it. "I couldn't be so selfish to put our love in front of their lives. I couldn't sacrifice them, Max. I guess that was what pushed me over the edge. That's also when Maria told me that Michael had cheated on her with Courtney, and I realized what I had to do. The one thing that you wouldn't forgive me for. So I staged it, so that you would think that I slept with Kyle. And..it worked. Future Max disappeared, because I had changed the future - and I was alone."   
  
Max put his arms around her and pulled her close to him.   
"Why couldn't you tell me?" Max asked. "We could've come up with something together."   
"I guess I was afraid that if Tess saw us together, she would leave anyway - even if you treated her well or not. She was always out to get you, you know. That was what she had been taught under her whole upbringing - that she was suppose to be with you. She was to come to Roswell, find you and you would instantly fall in love with her. That was the only purpose of her life....and when I stood in the way of that...well, we know how it all ended when we actually got together.... she and Nasedo attacking me."   
Max nodded and hugged her closer to him. They sat there for a while in silence before Liz pulled away from him to look him into his eyes.   
"I would _never_ do anything like that to you – never – not on purpose," Liz said, referring to what his future version had made her do. "It was the most difficult thing I ever have to do in my whole life...it was even worse than giving birth to Emma - even though it almost killed me. I had nightmares of you watching me with such hatred in your eyes-"   
"I could never hate you. I never hated you," Max said.   
Liz brought up her hand to his cheek.   
"I know that now," she whispered. "But when I saw the hurt in your eyes - and I knew that I had put it there - that I was responsible for your misery - I just wanted to die. So, know this Max. I would never do that intentionally. I only did it because _you_ asked me to. It was a future version of you. But it was still you. I would do anything for you. I would die for you." With that she refuted all the lies she had told him that night when she had told him that all she ever wanted was a normal life.   
Max felt tears sting his eyes and he did the only thing he could do. He cradled her face with his hands and pulled her towards him, their lips meeting in a tender kiss that spoke volumes of their deep love.

TBC...


	29. Book 1 Chapter 30

Hi everyone! I'm on a roll… ;) I think I'll make Sundays my "update-day", so I'll really _really_ try to update every Sunday.

Also, a very important note… When I first started to write this story I rated it PG-13. Now I find myself moving into the R-rated territory, so I've changed the rating of this fic to R. I realize that some of you would not have begun reading this story if it had been rated R, and some of you might be too young to read R. So, this is what I'm gonna do. Most of the story will remain PG-13, but the chapters which are more leaning towards R (due to sexual content), I will specifically warn you about, so you know which those are. If you decide not to read those chapters, e-mail me and I'll either give you a summary of the chapter or send you a censored one (depending on how much I can take away without changing the content of the chapter…)

I hope this is okay with you.

And thank you so much for the feedback!! :D

Now, two chapters as per usual… ;)

**Chapter 30** _(R-rated, due to sexual content)__  
  
_

  
He hit the brakes. It felt like the car couldn't stop fast enough. His heart was slamming against his ribs. No, oh no. Those were the only words running through his head. Over and over again. He could see her in the dark alley. She was all alone, he had left her and they had taken her from him. He ran to her, and kneeled beside her. No, she couldn't be dead! She couldn't be dead. But she was so cold. So cold. He turned her around and looked into her face. Her eyes were open, but they held no soul any longer. They were vacant - doors to emptiness. Liz had left her body.   
  
  
He came out of the dream with a gasp, his body bolting upwards. It took him awhile to orient himself. It was all dark around him - the light of the moon shining through one of the high small windows, but then he realized where he was and he heard her soft breathing and his daughter's gently, peaceful breathing and he closed his eyes and started to take deep breaths to calm his racing heart. It was only a dream. It was only a dream. He laid down beside her, his eyes mesmerized by how her skin glowed in the moonlight. He gently traced her bare arm with his fingers. She's alive, she's alive. He told himself over and over again. He had been living a nightmare for years. He had been so lost without her, and everyday since he had found her again, he was amazed that she actually was with him. That he could once again see her smile, hear her laughter, experience her soft caresses...hold her in his arms. Her skin was so soft, so smooth. Flawless. She had always been perfect to him. Ever since the first time he had laid his eyes on her - stepping out of the schoolbus in third grade.   
  
The memory of that day was still vivid in his mind. Isabel had been all excited to meet new people - to meet kids her own age. She always was so social. He had been terrified. He hadn't wanted to leave his protected haven, which he had started to consider his home. He didn't want to socialize. He didn't want to go out in the real world. The real world scared him. Isabel and he had always known they were different. They had also known that it would be dangerous to tell people that. Isabel dealt with everything through getting as much attention as possible. If she could be liked by other people, she wouldn't feel rejected - she wouldn't feel different. And she got what she wanted. She was always one of the most popular girls in school. There were girls admiring her. But she never really let anyone in. Because they both had human feelings. They were both afraid of being rejected - of being looked upon as a horrible disgusting creatures. So Max did the opposite to Isabel. He hid. He became known as a loner. A mystery to most people. Of course, that backfired a bit, since most girls found that so much more interesting - intriguing. However, there was always only one girl that mattered to Max. It was the girl who had calmed him down as he had nervously stepped off that yellow schoolbus that day. It was the girl who had taken his hand during the break, as he stood lonely in a corner of the school-yard - watching. It was the girl who had understood enough not to drag him out on the school-yard to all the people, but instead had sat down with him under a tree, and taught him how to blow bubbles with chewing gums.   
  
  
Max planted a soft kiss on her shoulder, and Liz stirred. Max held his hand still, waiting to see if he had awakened her.   
"Max...?" she murmured, still in her dreamless sleep.   
"Shhh, go back to sleep," he whispered.   
She sighed lightly and her breathing evened out, signifying that she had gone back to sleep. Max positioned himself next to her. She was laying on her side, her back towards him. He snuggled as close to her as he could and wrapped one of his arms around her, holding her close to him. Liz, still asleep, took his hand and laced her fingers with his, pressing their clasped hands to her stomach - sighing in content. Max laid his head in the crook of her shoulder and breathed in the scent of her hair. He kissed the side of her throat gently.   
"I love you," he whispered. Feeling like his was truly home, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.   
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------.   
  
_A week later_   
  
"Is everything set for tonight?" Max asked Kira. Kira nodded.   
"Yes."   
"And they can be completely trusted?"   
"They've been loyal to me since we arrived on Earth, thirty years ago. Don't worry, I've put my best men on it."   
"Be sure not to leave Emma out of your sight for even one second."   
Kira smiled at him. Max was really a true leader, and when it came to his small family he was the king he should have been even in his former life. However, then he had been married to Ava, and in the absence of Liz's support he had made bad decisions which had resulted in the fall of his kingdom and his own death.   
"You can count on me," Kira said. "I would rather die than let anything happen to your girl."   
Max nodded, raking his hand through his hair.   
"Am I doing the right thing here, Kira?" he asked, letting his insecurities shine through. "Everything has been cool for a week, but what if something happens... perhaps we should just call this off. Emma is safer with us-"   
"Max," Kira interrupted. "You've been planning this for two days. And as you have been saying, Liz needs this."   
  
Max nodded. He wanted to do this for Liz. He knew that she was feeling worse. She was slowly deteriorating, and he didn't want to just stand by and passively watch. He had done everything he could. He had eased every ailment by healing, or feeding her with energy. But as long as she was blocking him, he couldn't heal her properly. On the outside she was being strong - putting on an optimistic face - but Max knew her too well to know that the outside didn't reflect the inside. They needed some time alone. Even though Max and Kira tried to take some responsibility and pressure off Liz's shoulders by taking care of Emma, she was always in some way guarding her daughter - unable to cut loose too much from years of being the only one there for her. Max just hoped that Liz was able to see what he was trying to do and not have her mind on Emma the whole night.   
"Okay," Max said, and with a nod gave Kira the green flag to stick to the plan.   
  
----------------------------------------------.   
  
Liz came out from the bathroom, having enjoyed a long hot bath. She stopped, her hand pausing in the movement of pulling her hair into a pony-tail on her head. The big storage room, which was furnished with a dining table, some chairs, a TV, and a couch - together with the small kitchen area of course, was illuminated in the soft and warm light of candle lights. Max was sitting on the couch, eyes locked on her and a small anticipating smile on his face.   
"Max...." Liz said slowly, moving towards him. "What's going on?"   
"I have a surprise for you," Max said. "And it's still not too late."   
"What are you talking about?" Liz asked confused. Although she couldn't help but smile at him. He was different. Excitement was coming off him in waves. He rose from the couch and took her hand, tugging her towards the front door.   
"Max...I'm only wearing a robe," Liz giggled, as she tried to keep up with Max.   
"Oh, that doesn't matter," Max said.   
"Maybe not to you," Liz mumbled. The cool air hit her in the face, feeling even cooler as her hair was still wet from the bath.   
"I have a blanket for you," Max said, and came to a stop in front of a ladder pushed up against the house wall.   
Liz looked at him with amusement.   
"Max, where are we going?" she asked, trying to sound irritated, but her amusement at Max's behavior shone through in her voice.   
"We're going up on the roof," Max said. Liz looked at him, trying to figure out who he was and what he had done with her Max.   
  
"Is that so wise, Max?" Liz asked. "What if someone sees us?"   
"I have everything taken care of," Max said, as he searched her face. His eyes locked with hers. "Please, Liz. I want you to see something. Besides, the roof is lowered in a hollow, no one will be able to see us once we're up on the roof."   
Liz felt herself drowning in his deep warm eyes once again.   
With a nod she turned and started climbing the ladder. Max was right behind her, ready to catch her if she fell. Even how much Liz tried to put on a charade that she was fine, Max knew better and he wasn't gonna let her fall if she couldn't climb. They reached the roof, and Max's suspicions about Liz's weak condition were confirmed by her labored breathing. She had climbed a four meter high ladder, and she was almost completely out of breath.   
"Liz..you're okay?" Max asked, his excitement over the surprise he had planned for her momentarily forgotten.   
"Max..." Liz breathed, her voice filled with astonishment and admiration. The otherwise not so attractive roof surface had been transformed into the most romantic place Liz had ever seen. A blanket had been spread out, and candle lights were casting their soft light over the blanket. The roof was covered in the soft red color coming from the descending sun, illuminating the white rose petals which were spread out on the roof making them appear slightly pink.   
  


"It's beautiful," Liz said breathlessly.   
Max felt his heart swam over with his love for her.   
"I thought we could watch the sunset," Max said.   
"I can't believe you did this," Liz whispered stunned. Max took her hand and guided her to the blanket. She sat down on the blanket and Max took another blanket laying close by and wrapped it around her body. Liz's eyes followed his every movement. Max sat down beside her, and noticed that she was looking at him.   
"What?" he asked, smiling.   
"Do you know how amazing you are?" she asked. The red sun was wrapping them up in a warm color, but even with the red light shining on his face Liz could see that he was blushing lightly at her statement.   
Liz's eyes was so full of admiration for him, that he found it difficult to meet her intense gaze. He had always been sort of modest, and he never really knew what to do with compliments.   
  
He took her hand and raised it to his lips and softly placed a kiss on the back of it.   
Liz shook her head, still trying to grasp how lucky she was.   
"You are always there for me, Max. Taking care of me. You heal me everyday. And am not only talking about your powers - you heal my mind. My heart. But I need to know, Max. Do you ever regret it?"   
Max looked at her in confusion.   
"What do you mean?"   
Liz took both his hands in hers.   
"I don't want you to waste your life away, looking after me...and Emma."   
Max looked at her as if she had just grown a third eye.   
"Liz, are you kidding me?" he asked.   
Liz shook her head firmly, completely serious.   
"Your enemies can use us against you. I know you Max, and you would drop everything - sacrifice everything - if we were in danger-"   
"Yes, Liz. I would," Max said. "Liz, I love you. I love you more than life itself. Without you..I was as good as dead. And I love Emma. Don't ever think that you are a burden. You light up my life, Liz." From anyone else that would probably sound cheesy, but Max spoke from his heart - tried putting words to feelings that no words could really describe. "Without you I'm nothing."   
Tears were shimmering in Liz's eyes as she leaned into him, and put her lips on his. His lips were warm, soft and he tasted so good. So much Max.   
"I love you," Liz said against his lips.   
"I love you," Max said and put his arms around her waist - pulling her closer. They were soon lost in each other, the sunset forgotten. They were only feeling. Feeling the texture of the other's lips, feeling the scent, feeling the bodies under their touching hands.   
  
"Liz...," Max murmured against her lips.   
"Mmm," Liz said, before she caught his lips again.   
"You..."   
kiss   
"...wanna..."   
kiss   
"...uhm..."   
kiss   
"....see..."   
kiss   
"...the sunset?"   
"Mmmm," Liz murmured again, not having any thoughts at all on a sunset. She could feel Max's mouth turn up into a grin, and she slowly pulled away - smiling back at him.   
"What?" she asked.   
Max looked at her. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were vibrant. She looked more alive than he had seen her since they had moved into the warehouse.   
"You want to see the sunset?" he asked again, tucking a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on the silky skin of her cheek.   
Liz turned her head and looked out at the sky, as if suddenly noticing that there was actually a sun out there, about to go down in a cascade of colors. She nodded slowly as she turned her head back to him.   
"Sure, we can do that," she said.   
Max laid down on his stomach, pulling Liz along with him. He pulled her close to his side, correcting the blanket over her, so that she wouldn't get cold. Liz snuggled under the arm he had put around her, positioning her head on her hands as she looked out at the beautiful sunset. They watched the sun go down during the next ten minutes, then the darkness started to spread around them - stopped only by the wall of light spread from the candle lights that were surrounding them.   
  
"Max, where's Emma," Liz asked softly.   
Max was actually surprised that she hadn't asked earlier.   
"She's at Maria and Michael's," Max said.   
"Is it safe?" Liz asked.   
"Kira is with them, and some of his men are keeping watch outside the apartment complex," Max answered reassuringly. "Actually, some of his men are keeping watch here as well."   
Liz wiggled under him and finally managed to turn on her back, Max following her movements with an amused grin. Liz looked him straight in the eye. With a smile on her lips, she arched one of her eyebrows.   
"Really?"   
  
"Uh huh," Max answered, suddenly having a strong urge to feel the texture of the glowing skin of her neck against his lips.   
"You have really planned this, haven't you?" Liz asked amused.   
Max gave into the temptation and lowered his mouth to her neck, raining small kisses over her neck. Liz tilted her head backwards, giving him more access and Max moved his body more on top of hers.   
"I wanted you..." Max said and then nibbled at the sensitive skin in the crook of her shoulder with his lips, "....to have a night off."   
Liz cradled his face with her fingers, lifting his face from what he was doing and met his eyes - craving the taste of his lips on hers.   
"I love how your mind works," she said before she attacked his lips with a passion that took Max's breath away. Their mouths made love to each other, as their hands went on their own discoveries. Liz started to unbutton Max shirt, which went him totally unnoticed in the heat of the moment, and put her hands inside his shirt. As he felt her small, cool hands on his warm chest he buried his hand in her hair, pulling her lips even closer to his. Liz hands traced the firm and hard muscles of his chest. She still remembered every single detail of his chest, even though it had been five years since she last had been able to feel him. She moved her hands up and down his chest, as her lips were locked on his. His hands left her hair, and moved downwards, slowly followed the curves of her body to come to rest on her hips. His hands found their way inside her robe and started moving upwards again - now without the clothes hindering him from feeling her bare soft skin under his hands - as his lips left hers and he started kissing a trail down her jawline. Max's gentle caresses over her stomach and ribs were doing havoc to her body. His hands heated up her skin and the chilly evening air didn't bother her any longer. He was setting her body on fire with his touches. The need for him was so intense, she wanted to curl up inside of him, in that warm and protective place inside of him that was the essence of Max Evans. Max's hands came into contact with her breast and she instinctively arched her body against his hands.   
  
Max paused and searched her face. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, her breath leaving it in small and quick puffs.   
"Liz..." he managed to say, himself struggling with his breathing. Liz opened her eyes, and the second her eyes met his he knew that she was ready.   
"Max...don't stop," she whispered. She didn't have to beg him twice. He lowered his head and captured her lips in a heart-searing kiss, as his hands moved the robe aside - his hands finding her breast. Liz moaned deeply in her throat, as he run his hand over her nipple before he let his mouth follow suite. Liz couldn't think one coherent thought. Her mind was turning into mush under Max's touches. She could only feel. Feel the feelings that were filled with more pleasure than she ever thought imaginable. Her whole body was tingling from the sensations he caused in her - every nerve ending was reacting with full effect. She could feel her body awakening - springing to life. She needed to feel him. Max was taken by surprised as Liz suddenly rolled them over, positioning herself on top of Max. She quickly removed his shirt, and then her hands went to his jeans, starting to tug down his zipper. Her movements were fast - urgent. There was an emptiness building inside of her, and she needed him. She needed him to fill it.   
Max looked at her hovering above him, hot blood racing through his veins. He could feel his heart pounding, going one hundred miles a minute. Her face was shimmering in gentle glow of the candle lights, her cheeks flustered, her eyes chocolate dark, her hair fanning out around her face - teasing him as it brushed against his warm naked chest. God, he wanted her. He wanted her so badly.   
  
Then he felt her hands touch him where his desire for her was the greatest and a tremble went through his body, as a low groan vibrated deep down in his throat. He felt Liz remove his pants, pulling them down his thighs and calves - freeing him of the pressure he was experiencing in the too tight jeans. And then she was over him again. Planting kisses on his bare chest. Max reached his hands to her head and cradled her face, pulling her lips to his - fusing them together. His hands went inside her robe again, that was still preventing him from truly feeling her, and pushed it off her from her shoulders. Liz flushed her body against Max's, and Max could finally feel her naked skin against his - flesh to flesh. Her nipples were hard, creating pleasurable friction as they moved slightly against him as they continued devouring each other with their mouths. In the still night the only sound that could be heard was the sound of their lips moving against each other and their soft moans of pleasure. The outside world was lost to them in their heaven of pleasure.   
"Max," Liz gasped. Max gently rolled her on her back again, so that he could see her. All of her. He started to untie the band that held her robe together, but finally he tugged the whole robe over her hips, with the knot still tied as he couldn't concentrate enough to get it loose. He paused as she was now laying in front of her, completely vulnerable to him. She looked different. Some bruises covered her body, that not even the growing darkness could hide, and she was so much skinnier. He suddenly got insecure, and started to question what they were doing.   
  
Her breathing heavy, Liz opened her eyes as Max stopped and she searched his eyes. The desire and passion was still evident in his eyes, but now he also looked....sad.   
"Max...what?" she whispered. The chilly breeze was touching her skin and she suddenly felt cold without Max's touches.   
"Are you okay?" Max asked. "I'm not...I'm not hurting you am I?" She looked so fragile, she looked like she might break.   
Liz raised her hand and put it behind his head, drawing him down towards her.   
"Never been better," she whispered, her voice husky, and then she kissed him. "Max, please make love to me. I need you."   
  
Max felt her love flow over him, and he basked it in, moving his hands across her body again, caressing it with such gentleness and love that Liz got tears in her eyes.   
"Liz...do we- have we?" Max stuttered as he felt Liz tug on his boxers. Liz nodded, with a smile on her face.   
"Don't worry, Max. I'm on the pill," Liz said. Max smiled too and helped her take his boxers off. Max stopped and looked into her eyes.   
"I love you, Liz Parker."   
"I love you," Liz answered, and he slowly entered her. The couple was unaware of the silverish glow that radiated off their bodies, encircling them as they were filled with the greatest pleasure they had ever felt, as they finally completed each other. Two halves coming together, becoming whole. Their bodies were melting together, becoming one. And as their movements brought them closer to their climax the connection was restored, opening up wide between them. Images, feelings, emotions, thoughts, passions, and an indescribable love floated their senses and tears trickled down their cheeks as they could finally feel each other in every way known. Their union not only melting their bodies together, but also their minds, hearts and souls.   
  
------------------------------------------.   
  
The sun had descended and the darkness was spreading like a blanket over New Mexico. On a roof top on a warehouse somewhere outside of the small town Roswell, the darkness was penetrated by the flicker of ten white candle lights. Positioned in between the candles that were positioned in a circle, was a blanket. The modest lightning was illuminating naked skin, partly covered up by another blanket. Under the blanket, limbs were entwined, arms were embracing, fingers were laced. The light kept the darkness at a safe distance from the sleeping couple, that had finally come home.

TBC… 


	30. Book 1 Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**   
  


  
Kira put down the receiver.   
"So, what did they say?" Michael asked him. They had not heard a word from neither Liz nor Max in the whole evening and it was getting late. Emma had fallen asleep in the bedroom. Max had wanted an evening alone with Liz, and they all had agreed that it was a good idea. Liz had seemed to be getting even worse, and Maria was worried that she didn't have much time left.   
Kira turned around and looked into the worried faces of two of Max's best friends.   
"They have fallen asleep on the roof," he said.   
"What?" Maria said, confused. "What were they doing on the roof? I thought Max was the romantic type, why did he take her up on the roof?"   
Michael chuckled.   
"That dog!" he said with a smug on his face. "He's getting busy with Liz up on the roof. I gotta hand it to him, not even I would have come up with that!"   
"Michael, stop it! Max isn't getting busy with Liz anywhere! Haven't you seen Liz lately? Do you really think she has the energy to do anything more than kissing?!"   
"Well..."   
"Forget I asked," Maria said and turned towards Kira. "Then when are you going home?" She brought up her hand and stifled a yawn. "I need to get some sleep. I have two exams tomorrow."   
"Well, if they are asleep, then they're probably finished with whatever they were doing," Michael said, trying to keep serious but failed in keeping his voice stable as his mind conjured up all weird things you could do on a roof in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. He had to try that with Maria sometime.   
"Michael...," Maria said in a warningly tone.   
"I didn't say nothing," Michael said, and turned to walk into the kitchen to get a snack.   
  
--------------------------------------------------------------.   
  
Kira opened the passenger door and carefully unbuckled the sleeping princess. When he had thought about the future, he had never seen himself with a child - at least not _baby-sitting_ the king's child. He put his arms under her legs and gently lifted her out of the car. He pushed the door close with his foot and walked towards the warehouse. The silence out here in the middle of nowhere was deafening to say the least, and due to the moon's absence the darkness was much thicker. However, the sky was clear displaying millions of twinkling stars. One of his men met him at the door.   
"Zan and Liz are sleeping in their bedroom, sir," he said.   
"Did you wake them?" Kira asked.   
"No, sir. They came down by themselves about ten minutes after your call, sir."   
"And everything was clear tonight...nothing out of the ordinary? Nothing suspicious?"   
"No, sir. Everything's clear, sir."   
"Good. Call someone to change shift with you, and you can get some sleep."   
"Yes, sir. I'll do that."   
"Great work. Now I'm heading off to bed with this little girl."   
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."   
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------.   
  
Kira opened the door to Max's and Liz's bedroom.   
"Who is it?" he heard Max's voice ask. His voice was marked with sleep, and Kira realized that he had probably waken up the second Kira opened the door. Max was always on his guard, almost like a watch dog - sleeping with one eye open.   
"It's Kira," Kira answered in a hushed voice.   
"Do you have Emma with you?" Max asked, matching the level of his voice with Kira to not disturb Liz in her sleep. Kira didn't fail to notice the small hint of concern in his voice.   
"Yes, she's sleeping," Kira said as he walked towards the bed. Max was laying on his back, his chest bare. Liz was sleeping with her head on his chest, one of her arms on Max's shoulder and the other slung over Max's chest.   
"Is she okay?" Kira asked and nodded in Liz's direction. A smile spread across Max's face as he looked down at his soulmate sleeping soundly on his chest, the warmth of her body seeping into the cold lump of guilt inside of him - slowly dissolving it into nothingness.   
  
"Yes," he answered, and Kira wondered how much there really was behind that answer. Liz looked different - healthier, and more alive. Something had happened, and then he didn't mean the thing that Michael had so happily alluded to earlier. But it was neither the right time nor place for that conversation. Kira gently lowered the sleeping form of Emma down beside Max. Emma sighed lightly and then snuggled up to her father's warm body. Max reached out and pulled the covers over her as well. He put his arm around her and planted a loving kiss on her forehead. He turned his head towards Kira again, that looked very misplaced, and appeared utterly uncomfortable with it.   
"Kira, thank you," Max said, with emotion and emphasis in his voice that Kira had never before experienced.   
"Don't mention it," Kira said. "Good night, Max."   
"Good night," Max said and listened to Kira's retreating steps and to the sound of the closing of the bedroom door. With a satisfied smile on his face, and Liz's feelings floating around him through the connection, he closed his eyes and surrendered his body to the world of dreams.   
  
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Liz awoke, feeling the sunlight brush against her eyelids - teasing her to open her eyes. She felt the warmth radiating into her body. Warmth coming from another body laying beside her. She felt his arm wrapped securely around her, holding her close. She felt the air flow easily out and in of her lungs. She felt the heart pump the blood through her veins. Fresh blood, clean blood - healthy blood. Her head felt light, free from the tension, the aching and the thudding. Her joints did not ache, her eyes did not sting, her stomach didn't burn. She drew a deep, cleansing breath - relishing in the feeling of the fresh air in her lungs, tasting the air, living it. She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly and with no effort to look at him.   
  
Him.   
  
The most humble and caring man she had ever known. The man who couldn't hurt a fly...but still was destined to fight a long line of battles. The king of a planet he had no memory of. Her king. The man who had showed her love, and taught her what real love was. The man who she based her whole existence on. The man who had given her life in more ways than she could count.   
  
She stretched up and gentle grazed his smooth, hard and warm chest with the touch of her unparched lips. She took another deep breath, breathing him in. She felt him waking through the connection, reaching for her. She felt herself being bundled up in warmth and love. She felt his whole essence filling her, scaring all insecurities and demons away. She smiled as he opened his eyes slightly.   
  
  
She was so beautiful. The life floated out of her eyes, sparkling with energy. And she was smiling. For a second or two he wondered if he had died and gone to heaven. He could feel her all around him. He was wrapped up in her, wrapped up in something far older than just Liz Parker. Her soul was reaching out for him, filled with humbleness, care, gratitude and love. The very core of her being. No words were necessary as they lay there, a conversation older than time being transferred through their eyes, into their souls. She couldn't stop smiling. He brought one of his hands up to her face and felt the soft touch of one of her strands of hair between his fingers. His hand left her hair, only to move to her forehead tracing each of the small wrinkles that had formed there as a consequence of time and hardships.   
  
His hand traced the soft texture of her eyebrow to continue down the bridge of her nose, tracing every small detail of her features. His hand lingered on the top of her upper lip, only to slowly move to her right cheek. With a small smile he gently traced the blush on her cheek - a sign of health. He continued down to her chin, his touch as light as the wing of a butterfly. The travel of the hand turned north, lightly tracing her bottom lip with his index finger. Her beautiful mouth - the doors of breath and life. He slowly withdrew his hand from her face, closing his eyes as he did. He wanted to experience her with all his senses. He felt her scent - the scent that was so typical her. Not anything artificial, but natural and pure. He brought his hand up to her face again, cradling her soft cheek against his palm. With his eyes still closed, he leaned closer to her his whole being anticipating the moment his lips would be able to taste hers.   
  
He could feel her lips on his even before they were actually melting together. Her softness, her warmth, and her love fused with him as their lips met in a kiss that signified so much more than just a kiss. It was a kiss of promises, a kiss of eternity, a kiss of completion. They broke apart slowly, both still with the tingling on their lips, the electricity running through them. She sighed in contentment and put her head back on his chest, her eyes never breaking communication with his. She could feel the presence of their daughter, the child of love, beside him and she smiled again. She had never felt any happier. She didn't even own the words that could describe what she felt. Her heart seemed too small to hold all the feelings so they seemed to pour out of her, out of her every pore. She gave a new meaning to the concept of radiating with happiness.   
  
-----------------------------------------------.   
  
Kira looked up as the door opened to the bedroom. It was late in the morning, and for a while he had been worried why they all had slept so long. Not even Emma had woken up. He had to take a closer look at the...energy that was walking out of the bedroom. That was the only way he could describe her. Energy. She was not only a human any longer. She was an essence of altruism and love. She was a queen. She smiled at him, and her whole face shone up from the inside.   
  
"Morning, Kira," she said softly.   
Kira cleared his throat, suddenly finding himself out of both the ability to use his voice and out of breath.   
"Uhm..morning...Liz," he said and watched as she walked closer.   
"Did Emma have a good time yesterday?" Liz asked, as she started to search the cabinets after something to eat. She was famished.   
Kira watched her in awe as she moved about the room. Her every movement was filled with gracefulness, and he once again shook his head trying to clear his mind.   
"Kira?" Liz's voice reached him and he shook his head again.   
"I'm sorry, Liz. What did you say?" he asked.   
"Emma. Did she have a good time yesterday?" Liz repeated, retrieving milk and eggs from the refrigerator.   
"Uhm...yeah, she had a great time I think," Kira answered.   
  
"That's really good," Liz said, and Kira noticed how a smile spread over her face and then the bedroom door opened and Max walked out, dressed in sweat pants and T-shirt. And Kira was once again dumbfounded. There was definitely something different about Max too. His body was straighter, his shoulders were held high as if tons of lead had been removed from them. But what struck Kira as the biggest change about him was his face. Kira couldn't quite put his finger on what actually _was_ different. The only word he could find was peaceful. Max looked like he had found peace. He didn't seem....lost any longer. His movements were assertive, his eyes strong and determined, yet tender and gentle.   
  
"Morning, Kira," Max said, and gave him a small nod of recognition.   
"Mo-morning Max," Kira stuttered and followed Max as he made his way over to Liz. He stepped up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her, his hands coming to rest - to peace - at her stomach. He leaned his chin on her shoulder, and so they stood. It was a mystery to Kira how they could stand like that as Liz continued making pancake batter and then making the pancakes on the frying pan, without separating from Max. They were like two pieces made to be together, and as they were together they worked the best. Completely in tune with each other.   
  
  
  
And so the day elapsed. Kira found himself to be mainly a spectator to whatever wonder Max and Liz were. They didn't talk much - there didn't seem to be any need to do so. There were gentle smiles, small loving touches and caresses. They always seemed to be touching in some way. Even Emma seemed to notice the difference. She was quieter than usual, and Kira realized that she too seemed more at peace. A calmness had settled itself over the warehouse, and Kira went about the day feeling dazed. He couldn't ignore the love that was vibrating through the house - a frankly he didn't _want_ to ignore it either.   
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------.   
  
Liz had positioned herself on the couch, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling - her thoughts busy miles away. Max had left to tuck Emma in. He had insisted on doing that every night since they had moved to their isolated home. He saw it as one of the things he wanted to do to spend as much time as he could with his daughter. She heard Kira seat himself in the armchair and she angled her head a bit to be able to look at him as he spoke.   
"Liz?"   
"Yeah," she answered.   
"There is something I would like to talk to you about," Kira said.   
"Sure, what is it?"   
"I can see that something is definitely different here," Liz smiled a secret smile ,"and I was just wondering how you're feeling today."   
Liz smiled warmly at him.   
"I'm great, Kira," she answered.   
"So..all of the symptoms are gone?" Kira asked.   
Liz nodded.   
"That means...that the connection is open again?" Kira asked.   
Liz nodded again.   
"How- I mean, was it because of...uhm..."   
Liz blushed.   
  
"Yes, it was because of that," she answered softly.   
"Okay," Kira said and leaned back in the arm-chair. He cleared his throat. "That's really good, Liz."   
Liz nodded, and then her eyes diverted to the bedroom door. Kira turned in the arm-chair, following here eyes. First he only saw the closed door, but two seconds later it opened and Max appeared.   
"She's asleep?" Kira asked.   
"Yeah, she was pretty tired," Max asked and walked up to the couch. Without a word, Liz straightened up from her horizontal position and left room for Max to sit down. Then she lay down again, now with her head in his lap.   
"Maria asked me something yesterday," Kira said.   
He saw interest and attention settle over Liz's beautiful face at the mention of her friend.   
  
"What did she ask?" Liz asked. Even though she had never felt better, living with the love of her life and their common daughter, she missed Maria. She missed the girl talk... She was practically stuck with only men around (if you exclude Emma, since she fail to register as a potential girl talk participate). She hadn't met Maria since they moved in here, and cut themselves off from the outside world, which was about a week ago.   
"She was wondering if she and Michael could come and visit," Kira answered.   
Liz's face shone up, and her eyes sparkled. She looked up into Max's eyes, and he nodded with a small smile on his face - needing a little man to man talk himself with Michael.   
"Tell them that it's okay," Liz said.   
"When do you think that we should do it?" Kira asked, directing his question at Max.   
"You decide. You know how the situation is with the guards and everything and you know more about organizing trips that aren't to be discovered," Max said. He hadn't really put himself into the part of a leader yet. He had just got his soulmate back, and a child. All he could think about and concentrate on was their love and protecting them. Keeping them save. From the inside. The outside, and all the rules and leadership stuff he had left to Kira to take care of.   
"Okay," Kira said and nodded. "I'll check it out."   
  
  
  
_Two days later_   
  
"Max! Max!"   
Liz used the connection as a compass, tracing his presence to the bathroom. She lightly knocked on the door before she opened it slightly and poked her head in.   
"Are you decent?" she asked, with a smirk on her face.   
Max turned and looked at her.   
"If I wasn't, then it would already be too late, wouldn't it, since you're already half-way in here."   
Liz walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, and took in the sight in front of her. Max was standing in front of the bathroom mirror - shaving. He was only wearing sweat pants - his upper body glowing in the soft daylight seeping through the high located small windows. She had tried to find Max in order to tell him something, but that was forgotten as soon as she laid her eyes on him.   
"You're right," she said absent-mindedly as she traced the details of his chest with her eyes. His undressed state did funny things to her.   
"But I guess you wouldn't mind too much if I wasn't decent," Max asked, smiling too himself. He could feel her eyes on him, but he could also feel her increasing feelings of desire through the connection.   
"Why do you use a razor?" Liz asked, as she stepped up behind Max's back and unconsciously licked her lips as she now had an up-close and personal sight of Max's back.   
  
"What do you mean?" Max asked, somewhat confused. He lowered the razor in the water that he had tapped up in the sink, and cleaned of the lather before putting the razor back against his cheek. He could see Liz's face in the mirror. He could see how she lifted her hand only to see the hand disappear behind his back. He gasped as he felt her light touch on his back.   
"Uhm...why don't you just like...wave your hand over your face and shave that way instead? Isn't that less painful..and a much better time-saver?"   
Actually, waving his hand over his face would make things so much easier right at this moment, because Liz's touches on his back was making it very difficult for him to concentrate on _not_ cutting himself with the razor. He was glad that he was nearly done shaving, because he had some other things in mind now than the removal of hair growth on his face.   
"I found it better to learn how to shave properly - the human way, to avoid weird suspicions. And than I've just stuck with it..it's become like brushing your teeth."   
"Really?" Liz said, her voice huskier than it was just a few moments ago. "You mean you can avoid brushing your teeth as well and use some alien magic instead?"   
"Y-es," Max said, his voice pitching a little higher at the end of his answer due to the feel of Liz's lips on his bare shoulder. She was leaving soft feather-like kisses like a trail of fire along his shoulder, moving up towards his ear.   
"Well," Liz said, her soft lips reaching his ear. Max put down the razor, realizing that it was a security risk to have razors in his hand as Liz was slowly driving him nuts. "I think it's good that you do those things the human way," she started nibble his ear, and Max took a firm grasp on the sink at the sensations that rippled through him at her innocent touch, "'cause I think you look really sexy when you're shaving."   
  
Max closed his eyes, and tried to hold on to the control he was quickly losing. But it was Liz he was fighting against here. Liz and her lips, and they were like poison to his self control. It did not take many nanoseconds before Max lost it and turned around with such swift movement that even Liz was startled. But before she could really register what was happening, his lips were crashing down on hers with a fierceness and passion unlike anything she had ever felt before. But she was gradually learning that Max had a million ways of pleasing her, and most of those methods involved his lips. He could kiss her in so many different way, but each kiss was always amazing in itself. He never stopped filling her with desire, passion and love. His lips were claiming hers, and his movements were fast. He pressed his body against hers and his lips traveled down her throat. Without stopping what he was doing he stretched out his hand towards the bathroom door and locked it. Moans of pleasure were erupting deep in her throat, and Max pined her against the wall, his lips never stopping in the exploration of her skin. She arched her head back at the emotions he was causing in her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, wanting him even closer. The outside world and all its problems was a long time ago forgotten, and they were once again drowning in each other.   
  
----------------------------------------------------.   
  
"So, where's Liz?" Kira asked, not able to contain the smile that was tugging at the corners of his mouth from erupting, at the sight of a disheveled Max walking out of the bathroom. His hair was even more tousled than it had been when he stepped out of the bedroom an hour ago from a long night of sleep, and his cheeks were flustered.   
"Oh, she's taking a shower," Max answered, and walked up to the kitchen table and took a bun. He took a bite from it and walked into the kitchen area to make some coffee.   
"Did she tell you?" Kira asked.   
Max poured water into the coffee machine while he looked at Kira.   
"Tell me what?"   
"I guess you got distracted, huh," Kira said.   
Max turned his back to Kira to take out the coffee from one of the cabinets, but not before Kira got the chance to see his smile.   
"Uh huh," Max said casual, his voice telling nothing but the posture of his body completely giving him away.   
"Maria and Michael are coming here today," Kira said.   
Max put down the coffee on the counter and started to fill the coffee machine with the powder.   
"That's great," he said. "When?"   
"I'm sending a man to pick them up at 6:30 sharp," Kira said.   
Max pressed the on-button on the coffee machine and walked back towards the table. He sat down across from Kira and looked him straight in the face. Max's face had been transformed in a matter of seconds to the face of a leader.   
  
"Kira, you have to make sure that no one, _no one_ is following your man - neither on the way out of here and especially not on the way back here. This is a good hiding place, and I would like to keep it that way. I don't want to rip Liz and Emma up by the roots again."   
"I assure you Max, we are taking extra precautions."   
Max held his gaze, and Kira didn't look away. He knew that Max trusted him by now - otherwise he wouldn't let him be anywhere near Emma or Liz, and especially not live under the same roof as him. But Max needed to trust him on this special matter.   
Max's eyes left his after some moments of pondering and he started to spread butter on his bun. Silence lowered itself over the table, as the men were lost in their separate minds.   
  
A few minutes later Kira looked up at Max, as he suddenly gasped.   
"Max?" he asked.   
Max closed his eyes, his forehead creased in concentration and pain.   
"Liz," he murmured and bolted up from his chair. He run towards the bathroom, and ripped the door open. He could hear the water running in the bathtub, and he wasted no time on removing the shower curtain. He found her sitting at the end of the bathtub, her legs pulled up to her chest, the water running down her body.   
"Liz," he breathed, his voice marked with the hurt of seeing her like that. Without a second thought he climbed into the bathtub, turning off the water with his powers as he kneeled down beside her and put his arms around her. He could feel tremors cursing through her body, and she had her eyes closed.   
"Liz," he said again, but she didn't react to him. She was completely unresponsive to his voice, his touch, him. All he could feel through the connection was fear and pain, and it was slowly destroying him. He couldn't get through to her.   
"Daddy?" he heard Emma's small voice.   
"Honey, go out to Kira," Max said, his voice strained as he tried to break through to Liz.   
"But mommy..." Emma started to protest. She too could feel the pain and the fear through the connection she had with her mother and it frightened her.   
"Honey, mommy will be fine. Go out to Kira," Max said gently.   
  
Emma hesitated with her hand still on the doorknob, but then Kira came up behind her.   
"Max, what's going on?" he asked, and then he saw the naked form of Liz in the bathtub, cradled in Max's arms. Even from where he was standing he could see the tremors cursing through her body.   
"Kira, take Emma and get out," Max ordered. That was the first time Max had ever given him a direct order and he took it without questioning. He took Emma by the hand.   
"Emma, let's go out," he said.   
"But somebing's wrong with mommy," Emma said, her eyes tearing up.   
"Daddy is going to make her all right," Kira said, "but we have to leave them alone."   
"Okay," Emma sniffed and let herself be lifted up by Kira. She trusted her daddy to make her mommy okay again. Kira pressed her sobbing body close to his and closed the door, his heart racing in his body. He hoped with his whole alien heart that nothing was wrong with Liz. She had been so happy the last two days and he hated to see that something had happened to destroy it.   
  
Liz moaned deep in her throat - a moan of pain.   
"Liz, you have to wake up!" Max said, his voice begging. His hand was repeatedly threading through her wet hair, drying it as well as trying to calm her down.   
As her body suddenly went stiff, her back arching up Max thought his heart stopped in his chest. He tried to hold her still as her body started cramping.   
"No, Liz. Please. Wake up!" he begged his voice hoarse.   
The low cries that were erupting deep in her throat was nothing Max ever had heard and he didn't ever want to hear them again. They made his heart go cold and shivers run down his spine. They were like the cries of a wounded animal, being tortured.   
He frantically tried to get through to her. He reached deeply in the connection, concentrating hard on finding her. He started sending images of Liz's life to her through the connection, trying to destroy whatever was happening to her with the strongest power he knew existed.   
  
Love.   
  
Her breathing was harsh in his ears, coming quick. Then her body relaxed, and instead she started gasping for air, making sounds as if she was suffocating.   
Max had to focus very hard not to get distracted by her sounds of dying, as he concentrated on filling her mind with love. But it was hard as she was obviously suffocating to death right in his arms. He started to build up whatever energy he had inside of him - even energy he didn't know he possessed - and focused it on reaching Liz, on bringing her back to him.   
  
That's when she stopped. Her body relaxed, and her breathing slowed down. Her cries of pain quieted, and she was instead clutching him to her, powerful sobs ripping through her entire being. Max felt the air fill his lungs again (he wasn't even aware of the fact that he had held his breath), and his heart flutter to life again. He pulled her naked body close to his, feeling tears of relief running down his cheek. She was clenching his shirt in her fists, trying to shield herself from the reality in his arms.   
"Liz, oh my God," Max whispered. He had nearly lost her again. "I was so afraid I've lost you. God, Liz. I can't lose you. I love you so much. I love you so much."   
He started raining kisses over her face, tasting the salty tears.   
"Liz, what happened?" he asked.   
"I...I felt something," she whispered, the sobs penetrating her every word.   
"What did you feel?" Max asked, the fear sneaking its way back into his heart.   
"It was so dark..and there was so much fear...and pain...and grief. Max...I think I was experiencing the future."

TBC…


	31. Book 1 Chapter 32

Hey you guys! 

First of all, I'm so relieved that you are okay with my "R-rating"-thingy. I was afraid that maybe you would not agree with that ;)

And **Thank You** so much for the feedback!!!!

**Chapter 32**   
  
They were all seated around the kitchen table. An alien king, his queen and his daughter, and their protector. She was wrapped up in a bathrobe, her daughter curled up in her lap. Her hand was tucked in his, gripping it tightly. He was worried - having once again been forced to realize the fragility of happiness, and life.   
"Why is this happening to her?" he asked the protector, craving answers in order to be able to stop whatever was happening to his love.   
The protector shook his head - not possessing any much more knowledge than his king.   
"When you told me earlier that Liz had these...premonitions of her attack that revealed themselves in her dream state, I thought that it was just due to the fact that she was carrying Emma - and Emma was the source to it."   
"But Emma didn't even exist when it all started," she said, pulling Emma closer to her.   
She felt her soulmate squeeze her hand and she welcomed the energy and reassurance he was sending her.   
The protector rubbed his forehead with his fingers, an expression of confusion on his face.   
"Yes...that's what doesn't make sense. And even if that _had_ made sense, it had failed to explain what's happening now..since you're not pregnant now. Right?"   
She shook her head. She would have known if she had been pregnant.   
"Then what's causing this?!" the king asked, starting to lose control over his emotions. "She was dying!! We have to stop this! If it happens again it can kill her!"   
"Okay," the protector said and took a deep breath, trying to figure this out. "This is the first time this has happened in an awake state, right?" He received a nod from her and he continued, trying to puzzle together his knowledge about his planets and his people with the knowledge he had collected about humans during approximately thirty years.   
  
"According to my knowledge, you wasn't even going to be able to carry Max's baby. But something certainly changed when Max healed you, and opened up a connection between you. I believe that you two are bonded, something that once again is very rare on our planet. Therefore I have not much information in that area. I have tried to do some research on it these last couple of days, but there is not many who know anything. Not more than I do, anyway. However, I do know that powers can be shared between the connection-"   
"What's pwowers?" the princess's small voice piped up. Her mother kissed the crown of her head.   
"I will tell you later, pumpkin," she whispered. "Kira, please continue."   
"But somehow you haven't used any of Max's powers. So far you have used a power that Max doesn't even possess. The power of foresight."   
"So there is a power like that?" the king asked.   
"Yes," his protector answered. "There are some people on my home planet that have that power, yes. But what I can't understand is why she is able to possess a power that she can't get from you."   
"Maybe it's one of Emma's powers," she proposed.   
"No, as far as I know powers can only be shared through a connection between bonded individuals - not between a parent and their child. But that doesn't mean that Emma is _not_ in the possession of foresight. If that is a power possessed by you, Liz, then it can have been inherited to Emma. We know that Emma has inherited Max's healing powers. There would have been a simple answer to all of this if Liz had been alien. But it always comes down to the same problem. Liz is human."   
  
"But if it's a power, than why is it hurting her?" he asked.   
"It's probably due to the fact that she is human, and her body can't handle the power," the protector answered.   
"But a power is suppose to help you, protect you," he said, his heart filled with fear for something that was out of his control.   
"In an alien body, where the powers are integrated in the DNA they are."   
"But in a human body the powers are treated like a virus, and the powers act like a virus," the young woman who held the king's heart whispered.   
"Yes. The one thing I could resemble it to would be the human disease HIV. As the powers are progressing and are starting to become more or more rooted in your system your body will not be able to control it and the immune system will break down. Just like under the last stages of HIV-"   
"You mean AIDS?" he asked.   
The protector nodded.   
"Oh my God," she whispered.   
  
-----------------------------------------------------------.   
  
"Wait here," the man who had been their escort for the evening said. He left the car and knocked on the door to the warehouse. The knocks held a code to the inhabitants. Maria leaned forward in the seat and looked at the man in front of the warehouse.   
"Wow, you would think we were dealing with the president here," she mumbled.   
"In some respects we are," Michael answered beside her.   
"Right," Maria said and leaned back in her seat again. The door to the warehouse opened, but the door shielded Maria's curious eyes from perceiving who it was that had opened. She could see their escort talking with the unknown person and then the door was closed again, and the man walked towards the car. He opened the door on Michael's side and motioned for them to get out.   
"It's clear, sir," he said. Maria proudly hooked arms with Michael, feeling V.I.P:ish at being the girlfriend of a former 'vice president'....or second-in-command as the aliens called it.   
"Follow me," the man said and they walked up to the warehouse. He opened the door and the first thing Maria saw was Liz. She shrieked and run straight into Liz's arms.   
Michael motioned inside, shaking his head. He was acting causal, but he couldn't quite hide the grin that was threatening to break out on his face. The two girls hugged tightly, their voices mixing together as they told how much they had missed each other, asked how the other had been, and so on.   
  
Max stepped up to Michael and gave him a brotherly hug.   
"Hi Michael," Max said.   
"Hey," Michael said and nodded towards the two babbling girls. "I guess we shouldn't let those two be separated for too long from now on."   
Max looked at the humans that meant so much to them, as Liz now had started to drag Maria around the warehouse to show her how it looked like.   
"I guess not," Max said smiling.   
"Max... Liz looks...wow," Michael said.   
"I know," Max said softly, love filling his voice.   
"Yeah, of course you do. But to you she's always beautiful, even if she would shave her head and dress in a black garbage bag. What I mean, Maxwell, is that there's something different about her. Really different."   
Max turned around and followed Liz around the room with his eyes. She was always beautiful in his eyes, and that had never changed - but he knew that something was different about her.   
"The connection is open again," he said.   
Michael Guerin, formerly known as a bona fide alien with a stone wall around his emotions, couldn't stop himself from pull Max into another _manly_ hug. But he was quick on letting go again. He straightened his shirt, and looked somewhere behind Max - somewhat embarrassed that he let his emotions get the best out of him. It was just that he knew how much it had been killing Max that the connection was blocked, that Max was unable to reach Liz. And Michael was just so happy for him.   
"That's really great, Maxwell," he said.   
Max grinned from ear to ear as he nodded.   
  
"Then how did you guys manage to unblock it?" Michael asked, and watched as a red coloration started to spread in Max's face. He arched on eyebrow.   
"Oh, I get it! You did it, huh?! I knew it! Maria was going on and on about how Liz wouldn't 'cause she was so sick. But hah, I was right!" Michael had now a large smug draped over his features.   
"Do you want something, Michael. Coffee, a coke, a snapple..?" Max said, quickly wanting to change the subject. What happened between him and Liz was private and holy, and he was not going to discuss it with Michael.   
"Sure, a snapple would be great," Michael answered and followed Max into the kitchen. "So she's like fully recuperated now?"   
Max opened the refrigerator door to retrieve two snapples, but not before Michael had a chance to see his face glaze over.   
"Yeah, all her symptoms are gone," he answered and gave Michael one of the snapples and closed the refrigerator door.   
"But...." Michael prompted. He knew that there was something else behind all this.   
Max looked innocent.   
"Nothing," he said and shrugged.   
"Maxwell," Michael said, his voice holding a warning note. "Don't start keeping information from me again. If there is something else - something alien-related - I think I have the right to know."   
  
Max inhaled deeply.   
"Liz has powers," he said.   
"So?" Michael said, not understanding what could be so wrong with that. Liz certainly had some powers already when she reached for Max in New York City five years ago. So what was the big deal?   
"Her body can't handle it," Max said.   
"What?" Michael sank down on the couch with a thud, eyeing Max for any information on what the hell he was talking about.   
"She's human, Michael. She isn't suppose to even have powers," Max explained.   
"But she has had powers for a while now, right?" Michael asked.   
"Well, theoretically no," Max said. "Kira explained to us a while ago that she didn't actually _have_ powers. She was just tapping in on them through the connection with me."   
"Heavy," Michael said and opened his coke.   
"But now that doesn't seem to be the case anymore."   
"Okay, Max. You're stalling. Just tell me what it is already," the impatient side of Michael said.   
"This morning she had a premonition...you know, she think she saw the future. According to Kira, that's a power. But I don't possess it - neither of us do - so she couldn't have acquired it from me."   
"Are you saying that powers are just mysteriously popping up inside of her?" Michael asked.   
"Something like that," Max said.   
"But that's good, Maxwell. It's good that she has powers too so that she can protect herself."   
"No, it's not," Max said. He leaned back in the arm-chair, closing his eyes - his face worried.   
"Then what?"   
  
"Like I said, it seems as if her body can't handle the power. Her body can't accustom itself to the power. Instead the power is making her immune defense turn against her."   
"You're kidding, right?" Michael sighed. Would this ever end?   
"God, Michael. You don't know how much I wish I did," Max mumbled.   
"What are we going to do about it?" Michael asked.   
"I don't know. Kira doesn't know. As far as he knows humans are neither able to bond nor get powers from aliens."   
"But now Liz is doing just that. Get Kira to look it up. He's our damn protector, it's his job to protect us. And if Liz is acquiring powers - then I think it certainly includes her too." Michael was getting angry. They were stuck on this planet, and they had let fate play around with them for too damn long. It was absolutely not to soon to take some action. That man who called themselves their protector seemed to Michael as he didn't know a shit, and it was making Michael really angry. He didn't like putting his life, his security, and most importantly the people he cared about into someone's hands that was clearly incompetent at doing his job. He couldn't understand how Max could trust him.   
"He's trying, Michael," Max said tiredly. "He has his men on it, doing research. But this is the first time this has ever happened. They don't know anything. And what they know they have informed me and Liz about."   
"That's just crap," Michael said. "Why don't you do something yourself, Max?"   
"I wouldn't know where to start looking, and I don't feel comfortable leaving Liz and Emma alone. My hands are tied."   
"Are you just going to let her die?" Michael said, and put the can on the table with a bang.   
"No, Michael," Max said angry. "I will not let her die!!"   
"No? Then do something," Michael demanded, raising from his seat, unable to sit as the feelings of annoyance and anger cursed through him.   
  
"What are you doing?" Maria's voice interrupting them. The two men were now standing about one meter from each other, looking hardly and challenging at each other.   
Max felt a surge of calmness through the connection and turned his head to look into Liz's chocolate eyes. Obviously she had felt him getting all worked up.   
"You aren't going to start to fight, huh?" Maria asked. "We've only been here for about ten minutes and they are all ready hitting at each other with their sticks. Unbelievable!!"   
"Max, what were you talking about?" Liz asked.   
"Nothing," Michael huffed.   
Liz eyed him. He was looking at her differently. Like he was...worried about her.   
"You were talking about me, right?"   
Max walked up to her and encircled her in his arms. He needed her. Needed to be reminded that she was okay.   
"Max, I'm fine," she whispered reassuringly to him.   
"What's going on?" Maria asked, feeling left out.   
Liz released herself from Max's embrace and took Maria's hand.   
"Maria, there's something I need to tell you," she said.   
"Why do I get the feeling that it's something bad?" Maria murmured as she sat down on the couch, preparing her body for whatever weird things her already freaked out life was going to be filled with.   
  
------------------------------------------.   
  
Their leader sat behind the large desk, going through every document they had gathered on Zan. Their was a knock on the door, and one of the guards positioned by the door opened it.   
"I have a message for Isacha," a voice said - who the leader recognized as belonging to the highest commander among his men here on Earth.   
"Let him in," he ordered and the commander entered. His normally expressionless face revealed something else for once.   
"What is it, Magnin?"   
"I have news for you, sir," Magnin said with a small smug on his face.   
"Yes?"   
"Sir, we have localized their position," the man said.   
"Then it's time to put our plans into action."   
  
  
TBC...


	32. Book 1 Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**   
  
  
The TV was on and the apartment was filled with the sounds of a hockey game. There was a knock on the door. Maria's voice blended with the commentator's voice on the TV, and reached Michael's unreceptive ears.   
"Michael!! Can you get the door? I'm painting my nails!!"   
Michael huffed and stood up from his comfortable position on the couch, and moved towards the front door - one eye constantly glued to the screen. The safety chain drifted out of the latch by an invisible force, and then the doorknob was turning.   
"Hi Michael!!" her voice chirped in his ears. He released his gaze from the TV screen and look at their 'guest' to see if it really was who he thought it was. Yep, it was her. Tess. The one person that had been 'hanging out' with them for about a week now. They couldn't seem to get rid off her. And it was slowly killing both Michael and Maria, since they knew what Tess had been a part of but they still needed to act like they didn't have a clue. Raise no suspicions, remember. Well, it sucked!   
  
"Hi Tess," Michael said tiredly.   
Tess took the liberty to walk into the apartment and sat down on the couch in front of the TV.   
"So, who's winning?"   
"No one it's seems. It has been dead for ten minutes," Michael said, standing in the middle of the room, staring at Tess and cursing whatever force that were responsible for putting Tess in his living room when there was a game on TV.   
"Tess...did you want something?" Michael asked.   
  
"Yeah, I was thinking that we could all do something together," Tess said. "You know, the old gang. I think we need a break."   
"A break from what?" Michael asked, already beginning to get worn out by Tess's over-energized behavior. He walked into the kitchen to get a bag of chips. _He_ was actually having a break until _she_ walked in.   
"Just a break," Tess said innocently. "Where's Max anyway? I haven't seen him in ages."   
"Well, he's in his dorm, cramming for exams. You know him - he always took those things seriously."   
  
"Okay," Tess said. She knew that Max was in this moment studying as much as she was right now. She knew that Max was with Liz, and that was why he had been missing in action the last couple of days. But she was going to pretend that she bought that explanation to Max's whereabouts. She wasn't going to push it and give off the appearance that she was suspicious. This had to run in accordance with the plan. And she was going to stick with the plan this time - and she would in the end get Max, just as she'd always wanted. She needed to get them out of the apartment, out of reaching radius.   
"They're having a rave at the old soap factory," Tess said.   
"Really?" Michael asked. He couldn't be less interested.   
"Yeah, and I've already talked to Kyle, and Alex. It would be so much fun if we could all go!"   
"Go where?" Maria asked as she walked into the living room, unable to hide the venom in her eyes as she laid her gaze on Tess, sitting on the couch.   
  
"Oh, hi Maria. We were all planning on going to this rave at the old soap factory."   
'Oh, so now it's _we_,' Michael thought as he poured Tabasco sauce over the potato chips.   
"We are?" Maria asked.   
"Yeah, wouldn't it be fun to do something together for once. I've called everyone, and Alex is going to ask Isabel."   
Maria thought about it. That sounded like a lot of fun. And she didn't really need to spend so much time with Tess. Additionally, it meant that she would get Tess out of this apartment.   
Michael thought about it. On TV they were playing a hockey game, which he had been just fine watching. He didn't really feel like going out anywhere. But if it meant getting Tess out of this apartment then it was fine with him.   
"But _rave_? Is that really us?" Maria asked.   
Tess shrugged.   
"I don't know. But I've never tried it and it would be fun to try something new," she said.   
"Okay, how much time do I have to get dressed?"   
  
-----------------------------------------   
  
_In an abandoned warehouse, outside of Roswell_   
  
"That's why you're special, honey," Liz said, stroking Emma's hair.   
"And it's not _bad_ special, but good," Max said - trying hard to believe it himself. This far all his origin had done for him was getting him into trouble, messed up his life - and was slowly killing his soulmate. He received a warning look from Liz, and he could almost hear her in his head, telling him to stop blaming himself.   
"You can use your talents to help other people," Liz said. "Like when you healed my hand, and when daddy healed my stomach that we were telling you about earlier."   
Emma nodded. Trying hard to understand. Her parents had told her that she was special. That who she was and where she came from made her special - different from others, but different in a good way. That meant that she had special talents, and could do cool stuff. But they had also said that there was people out there who didn't like her and her parents. _That_ she couldn't quite understand. She hadn't done anything to them. She had never been bad to them. But one thing that had come through loud and clear was that she was a princess. Just like the sleeping beauty...or Cinderella.   
"Mommy, why don't we libe in a big cwastle?" she asked, the discussion about talents (as Max and Liz had decided to call the powers) forgotten for the time being.   
Liz and Max smiled lovingly at their daughter.   
  
"Soon, pumpkin," Max promised, and hoped it with all his heart. "Soon, we will have our own very castle. But not the way you imagine it. It will look like just another house. But it will be really great."   
Emma's small lips formed into a small pout, disappointment written over her face.   
"You see, Emma. Here on Earth, no one knows that you are a princess," Liz tried to explain.   
Emma looked surprised.   
"No one knows dat you're a king either?" she asked her daddy.   
Max shook his head.   
"That's why we are going to live in a normal house," Liz continued. "But I'm sure you gonna like it anyway."   
"Can I have a dress?" Emma asked.   
"Sure," Max promised, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Now you have to go to sleep."   
  
"But I want to know more," Emma protested, while she could barely keep her eyes opened.   
"There's a new day tomorrow," Liz said, also kissing Emma's forehead.   
"Sweet dreams," Max said. "Nite, honey."   
"Nite, daddy," Emma said. "Nite, mommy."   
Liz smiled, and turned off the bedroom lamp.   
"Nite, Em."   
Max took Liz's hand and together they walked out of the bedroom.   
  
----------------------------------------------   
  
Liz felt herself drift up to the fringes of consciousness again. She was laying on the couch, her head on Max's chest, his arms wrapped around her. There was something keeping her from completely falling asleep. There was something tugging at her consciousness, something that wanted to be known. A sense of dread. She pushed her head higher up to Max's warm neck and breathed in his scent - trying to calm down her senses. She felt Max unconsciously wrapped his arms tighter around her, sensing her feelings of mischief. She closed her eyes anew, trying to surrender her body and mind to sleep.   
  
--------------------------------------------   
  
"There's something wrong," one of the guards said to his partner.   
"What?" the partner asked.   
"Can't you feel that? It smells like smoke."   
The partner looked up at the sky, trying to see the smoke.   
"I can't see anything," he said after scanning the sky.   
"Everything is vibrating with bad energy - it's like something is bound to happen, like something is awaiting to break the peace."   
"Kaleva, I know that you're good at sensing energies, but I can't smell any smoke."   
"Remember Zosima, your sense of smell is not as developed as mine. We need to contact Kira."   
  
"Are you sure? I don't want to wake him up if nothing's wrong."   
"I would rather wake him up one time too many..."   
The two guards walked up to the backdoor, and as they got closer to the warehouse even Zosima had to admit that it did smell like smoke.   
"Inform Kira, and I'll inform the others," he said.   
Kaleva nodded and his partner was off in the darkness. Kaleva opened the backdoor - which was directly connected to Kira's room. Kira was in front of him before he got time to open the door completely.   
"What's wrong?!" he demanded.   
"We can smell smoke, sir," Kira's guard answered.   
"Shit," Kira murmured, and turned around to notify Max. His primary priority was to get Max, Liz and Emma out of immediate danger.   
  
He opened the door, which led to the rest of the warehouse and his vision was immediately blocked by a thick gray smoke. He concentrated on separating the gas molecules from each other, pulling them apart so that he was able to see something. He pushed up the gas molecules to resemble a wall around him, while he could walk freely in a created lane free from smoke. Having the warehouse memorized to every millimeter he made his way to their bedroom, and opened the door. The bedroom was dark, but the smoke was not as thick in there as it was in the rest of the warehouse. Imagine his surprise when he found the bed to be empty.   
  
He walked up to the bed to make himself absolutely certain that his eyes weren't fooling him. The bed was unmade - it had been slept in. But now there was no one there. His mind started to think strategically. They could be anywhere in the warehouse, they could also be outside - having noticed the smoke and left. He made his way out of the bedroom and to the bathroom - only to find that empty as well. The smoke was only getting denser, and then he saw the coach - with Max and Liz sleeping on it. He quickly strode up to the coach and shook Max violently by the shoulder. He was difficult to wake up, the smoke had already started to fill his lungs, clogging his senses.   
  
Max opened his eyes, and found Kira's face hovering over him. Something was wrong. He started coughing, and blinking. His eyes were stinging. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that even though the air around them was clear - the rest of the warehouse was covered in thick smoke. His first thoughts were on Liz and Emma. He bolted upwards, and found Liz snuggled up to him. Feelings of relief flooded through him, until he noticed that Emma wasn't there.   
"Where's Emma?" Max croaked, his voice hoarse. He doubled over as he was assailed by another violent cough. He shook Liz, trying to wake her up. She came to with a series of rough coughs.   
"I don't know," Kira said.   
Max started to entangle himself from Liz and stood up, staring at Kira. Liz looked at them confused - fear gripping her.   
  
"Where's Emma?" she asked. She tried to reach out for her daughter through the connection but she couldn't get through.   
"Max, something's wrong. I can't reach her," Liz said.   
Max wasted no time as he started to move towards the bedroom.   
"I've already checked in there," Max heard Kira yell after him. "You need to get out. This place can blow up..."   
Max ripped the door open and rushed to the bed. Even though he saw that the bed was empty, he still pulled at the covers - hoping against all odds that she was laying under them. Fighting of the feelings of horror, in order to not get slowed down, he kneeled beside the bed and looked under it. He pulled up his arm, and his palm radiated a white glow, illuminating the surroundings. It was empty. He rose again and stepped up to the closet, opening it and searched all the shelves - even though they were too small for Emma to be able to hide in. He scanned the room one last time, before he bolted out of it - heading towards where he thought the bathroom was. He didn't even bother to take away some of the smoke to make it easier for him. All he could think about was Emma. Something had happened to his little girl. He pulled the bathroom door opened. He searched the bathtub, the space under the sink, and the corner between the toilet and the wall.   
  
-----------------------------------------------------   
  
"Liz, please. You have to get out. I will have my men do this," Kira begged Liz as he tried to keep up with her as she too had started to search the warehouse for her daughter.   
"NO!" she cried. "My baby's missing...and I need to find her!!" Her voice was determined, but Kira had never heard her so worried before...he had actually _never_ heard _anyone_ that worried before. He decided that it was no use fighting her, so he trailed after her - helping her in her search as much as he could by keeping the smoke away with his powers. He certainly hoped that the whole building wouldn't collapse or explode.   
  
--------------------------------------------------------   
  
She felt him move towards her, and she looked up to see the door open. She rose from her kneeling position and run towards him. She crashed in his arms, and his arms went around her. They clung to each other. They were both covered in dust, their hands and faces black. Their hair, clothes, and skin reeked of smoke. But that went them unnoticed. Their daughter was gone, taken from them in the night. Abducted...   
  
  
  


And I will be back next week with the continuation… 


	33. Book 1 Chapter 34

*blush* Gosh… You are making me blush with your sweet words. Thank you so much!! It means so much to me, you can't imagine. Thank you.

I'll just leave you with the next chapter. It's only one chapter this time, because due to the ending, I didn't want to post two chapters… I'll be back in a week though :-). 

**Chapter 34**   
  
  
Michael felt the cell phone vibrate against his thigh, and he reached down with his hand to pick it up. He didn't recognize the number on the display. The music was hammering around him - the volume so high that he barely could hear what he was thinking. He quickly sought out the nearest green exit sign and moved towards it. As he opened the door and stepped outside - the door swinging shut behind him - the music was muffled and he took a breath in relief. He pressed the connect-button and put the phone to his ear.   
"Yeah," he answered.   
"Michael, it's Kira."   
Michael frowned. Why was Kira calling him?   
"Tell Isabel to get ready, a ride is on its way to pick you up. Try to not be too conspicuous as you leave. And take Tess with you."   
"What's going on?" Michael asked.   
"Emma's missing."   
  
------------------------------------   
  
The three passengers of the dark Cheva could all see the smoke as a big dark cloud against the clear, dark night sky.   
"Oh my God," Isabel whispered. "What's going on?"   
Tess was trying her best not to let her emotions shine through. Had everything gone according to the plan? Had Max, Liz and Emma been captured?   
  
There was a large pang, like the sound of a gun being fired, and then the car was driving off the road. The three passengers looked terrified at their driver as he slumped over the steering wheel. Michael reached forward, and took a hold of the steering wheel. He felt something drip on his hand, and he looked down. His hand was gradually being stained with blood droplets.   
"Oh shit!" he said.   
"What?!" Isabel shrieked.   
"He's been shot," Michael said, as he crouched down with his head - both in an effort to shield himself from whatever gun shoots might continue to be fired in his direction, and also to remove the dead driver's foot from the gas pedal.   
  
The car was heading out in the desert - bumping over stones and shrubs. With a shrill shriek it came to a halt. Michael climbed back in the backseat.   
"Get down," he ordered the girls. They complied, pressing their foreheads to their thighs - trying to make themselves as compact as possible.   
In a crouching position, Michael scanned the surroundings.   
"It's clear," he said and opened the door on his side. Just then he was knocked to the ground by an invisible force.   
  
Isabel pulled the door close with her powers as she saw Michael slump on the ground. She motioned for Tess to open the other door and get the hell out of there. She had to help Michael. She saw Tess step out of the car, and then Tess was on the ground as well.   
"No, please!" she cried. "I did my job! I got them out of the apartment!"   
Isabel pulled herself backwards, away from the opened car door. There was a crackle of energy, and the next thing she knew she was looking at a Tess that seemed to be on fire. There seemed to be electricity running through her, and her skin appeared was turning scorching red. And then there was Tess's animalistic cries. Isabel's couldn't breathe as she witnessed how Tess was slowly melting - and then she was gone. A pile of dust everything that was left.   
  
Isabel couldn't move. She couldn't see the attacker. All she could think about was that Michael was out there - with someone that had _melted_ Tess - and Isabel was pretty exposed too. Her head jerked up, as she heard the sounds of energy jolts being fired. She heard someone cry out and then everything went silent again. Isabel could hear the blood pumping through her veins. Her breathing was labored and she was still unable to move.   
"Vilandra," a voice said, and then a face showed itself through the open car door.   
Isabel gasped and suddenly got her mind working. At the same time as she was moving backwards in the backseat - until she felt the other door against her back - she put out her hand in front of her and fired. At the instant that Isabel fired, a purple force field was put up in front of the person - absorbing her energy jolt.   
"What do you want?" Isabel demanded, her voice much calmer and authoritative to realistically represent her inner turmoil.   
"Don't worry, princess," the man said. "I'm on your side. I'm here to take you to your brother."   
Isabel furrowed her forehead.   
"And why should I trust you?" she asked suspiciously.   
  
The man reached out his hand towards her, and she instinctively shrunk back. He stopped in his movement and instead took his other hand to pull up his sleeve. He waved his hand over the arm, and their was a short flash - and then a symbol appeared. It was their symbol. The same symbol they had seen on the orbs, and the same symbol that had been on the pendant she had found at Atherton's home.   
"It means that I'm loyal to the king - King Zan," the man explained.   
"Tess was also suppose to be loyal to Zan, but she wasn't," Isabel said. She had a good feeling about the man. But she'd had a good feeling about Tess too when she had arrived to Roswell - so she wasn't so sure she could trust her instincts when it came to aliens.   
"How do I know that you're just not mindwarping me into making me believe that I'm seeing that symbol, when I'm really not?" she asked.   
The man searched her face, and realized that she needed more convincing. He put his hand in his pocket and picked up what looked like an ordinary stone. But then he waved his hand over it, and it turned into a communication device of some kind.   
"Sir," he said into the communicator. "Come in, sir. We have a situation here." Isabel didn't like that it was referred to as a situation - it gave her the creeps.   
"Kaleva? Where are you?" Isabel could hear Kira's voice asking.   
"We're about two miles from the target location, sir," the man Kira had called by the name of Kaleva answered.   
"What happened?"   
  
"They're were attacked, and Ava was killed, sir."   
"Are Vilandra and Rath okay?"   
"Yes, sir. The situation is taken care of. Although I need to convince Vilandra of my identity. Could she talk to Zan, sir?"   
"Yes."   
The communicator went dead, and Isabel and the man stared at each other. Isabel had already been fairly convinced of the fact that the man wanted her no harm, since she had heard Kira for herself. But she wanted all evidence she could get. And a fake Max would never fool her.   
"Isabel?" the communicator spoke.   
The man offered Isabel the stone and she took it.   
"Max?" she asked.   
"Isabel, you have to go with the man. Trust me, it's safe," Max said.   
"Max, what's going on?" Isabel asked. Michael hadn't told her anything, and neither had anyone else. She felt completely in the dark - having no clue to what was happening.   
"It's extremely important that you and Michael go with that man and come here. I need you."   
"But Max..."   
"No, Isabel," Max said, his voice harsh. "We're not discussing this any further right now. There is no time."   
Isabel might not know in full detail what was going on, but by the sound of her brother's voice, she knew that she should expect the worst.   
  
---------------------------------------------------   
  
Isabel stepped out of the car, her eyes wide as she scanned the exterior of the warehouse, and its nearby surroundings. There was smoke boiling out of its every opening, the sky above dark. There were people running around outside the warehouse, but Isabel only had eyes for her brother. He was standing a few meters away, his back towards her, talking to what appeared to be one of Kira's men. Isabel only had to take one look at Max tense stance to know that something was horribly wrong. Michael stepped up beside her, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He had a pounding headache after being knocked down.   
  
"Max!" Isabel yelled, and started to walk quickly towards her brother.   
He turned around immediately as he heard her voice. Isabel's steps faltered a little in speed as she looked into his taut face.   
"What's going on, Max?" Michael asked.   
"I need you two to search the building," Max said. Isabel stared at him.   
"Max, you better tell me what's going on right now," she demanded.   
"I want you to search after Emma," Max said. His voice was cold, emotionless, and he was giving them orders as if they were his soldiers.   
"Haven't you commanded all of your men to do that already?" Michael asked, his voice tight as he grew increasingly angry with Max's bossiness.   
"I need _you_ to do it," Max said, "I trust _you_." His stone face fell for a fraction of a second, then he tiredly covered his face with his hand.   
Isabel reached out and put a hand on his shoulder in an act of support.   
"We'll do everything in our power to find Emma," she said. Isabel took away her hand and Max looked up into her face.   
"Thank you, Isabel," Max whispered, his voice cracking.   
Isabel smiled weakly and then took a firm grip on Michael's shirt.   
"Come here, Michael," she said.   
"Yeah, yeah," Michael huffed. Honestly, he didn't have a problem with searching after Emma. He loved that girl already. She was like a niece to him. He had only for a second there fallen back into his resistance to be bossed around when it came to Max.   
  
--------------------------------------------   
  
They searched until the sun started to rise above the horizon. They searched as the sun made its ascent on the sky. They searched as the sun started its descent – acknowledging the end of another day. They were all searching – Max, Michael, Isabel, Liz and Kira and his army. Later even Maria, Alex and Kyle joined them. But Emma was nowhere to be found.   
  
Liz stumbled to the ground. Her limbs ached, her head throbbed, and her throat was dry. But the physical ailments were nothing compared to the pain she was feeling in her heart. She closed her eyes and for about the million time since her little girl had disappeared, she concentrated on their connection, trying to reach her. The tears started to slide down her face, causing streaks to be formed in the dirt on her cheeks. She couldn't reach her.   
  
She felt him sit down beside her, and she felt his strong arms encircle her. She leaned into him.   
"Can you reach her?" Max asked.   
Liz shook her head. They grew silent. It seemed hopeless. They had searched for almost twenty-four hours – searched for anything at all. Any clue. But there was nothing. Max was certain that Emma was in the hands of their enemies – and it was slowly killing him that he had been unable to protect her. He tried to block it out – tried to shut off his feelings. Otherwise he was certain that he would not be able to move on. He would be incapable of leading any kind of search, and he would fail Emma once again.   
"Max, don't," Liz whispered, and looked up at him with her tear-streaked face. Max looked into her eyes. The eyes he always found comfort in, and calmness. They were so different now. At the same time as they were still the same eyes as they had always been, they seemed colder – like life had vanished.   
"They have our baby girl, Max," Liz whispered, her voice cracking with emotions, "and we can't get her back if we let guilt win."   
"I failed her, Liz," Max said.   
Liz too felt that she had failed her daughter. If only they've slept in the same room, Emma might still be with them. If only she had went to check on Emma when she had felt that deep sense of dread simmering through her body. But she couldn't let that thinking drown her. She had fought that kind of thinking for a big part of her life – when every day was a struggle of sheer willpower to go on. She knew how that kind of thinking could destroy a person.   
"Max, we have to think about _her_. We have to concentrate on _her_."   
Max swallowed – forcing down the sobs that threatened to erupt in his throat.   
  
"Max, Liz! We've found something!"   
Max and Liz eyes broke contact as the searched out Michael running towards them in the darkness.   
"What is it, Michael?" Max asked, not being able to stop the hope from awakening inside of him.   
Michael crouched beside Max and Max felt something cold being placed in his hand. He looked down and found himself looking at a stone – barely small enough to fit in his palm, with the appearance of amber. Its surface was shimmering. It looked as if water was floating over it. But that wasn't possible – since the stone was completely dry.   
"What is it, Michael?" Liz asked, her voice strained as she stared at the stone in Max's hand.   
"One of Kira's men said it looked like a communicator," Michael answered.   
"It's not communicating," Max said in a low voice.   
"No," Michael shook his head, "we couldn't get it to work either. Maria suggested that we should give it to you."   
"There definitely is something different about it," Liz said and moved her hand to feel the texture of the mysterious stone. As soon as her hand brushed against the surface, an hologram sparkled up in front of them. Liz jumped back – startled – and her hand moved away from the stone.   
"Liz, I think you need to touch it too to get it working," Max said and gently took her hand in his. Liz looked into his eyes, and then she felt the cold stone against her fingertips once again and a white hologram appeared in front of them. She diverted her eyes away from Max and they both looked up at the hologram. Liz inhaled sharply as the image of Nicolas appeared on the screen. She could feel Max's anger seething through the connection.   
  
"Max. Liz," the hologram of Nicolas said – looking straight at them. "I see you found the stone."   
"Nicolas," Max breathed, his voice clouded in hatred. But Nicolas was neither able to hear nor see Max, since it was only a recorded message.   
"I believe that you by now have noticed the absence of your child. She sure is beautiful, Max. I was planning on taking Liz as well – I could have had some fun with her – but I guess the plans changed." Max pulled Liz closer to him. "By now you've probably been enlighten about the death of your mate, Max." Max shivered, and took an even firmer grip around Liz. His fears were lessened a bit as Nicolas continued, and Max realized it wasn't Liz that was being discussed. "Tess was always a weak individual, and she was not to be trusted – neither in this lifetime nor in the lifetime before." Nicolas smiled smugly. "But now _that_ problem is out of the way. I guess you are only happy about her death, Max... Now, I'm sure you are interested in what I have to say about your daughter. Yes, she's with me. Unfortunately for you, she is not within your reach. Not within your reach at all I must say." Nicolas smug was pure evil and gloating. "Our ships were loaded earlier today – as you were still searching I presume," Max's heart stopped, "And by the time you receive this message we are already on our way to Antar – with your daughter."   
  
  


**END BOOK 1**

Short A/N: If you haven't noticed it before, this book is divided up into two books (I don't plan on their being any more than that) and the first book has now come to an end. Book 2 of "Solar Eclipse" will start next week. But it will still be "Solar Eclipse" and it will be same place, same time ;). Just so you didn't think this was the end. It's not… not yet. :-) 

_Thank you for reading!_

_Hugs,_

_Josephin_


	34. Book 2 Chapter 1

_Hi everyone!_

_Thank you so much for the feedback!!!_

I was planning on posting two chapters today, but I started to read through chapter 2 and there were so many errors… And I don't have the energy to correct it right now. So… I'll just post this one and I'll be back with chapter 2 in about a week.

_Take care!_

_Hugs,_

_Josephin_

**BOOK 2**   
  
  
  
The little girl clasped her hands over her small ears, trying to block out the horrifying cries surrounding her. But the sounds were too strong, too high and deafening. They reached into her soul, urging it apart. Shredding her tiny essence into sore pieces. There was a loud crack and she heard her mother scream. 

'No no no no no no no,' she repeatedly chanted in her head. Her body was frozen in fear, her closed eyelids trying to stop the shocking images from entering her pure and innocent mind. She could still feel her mother's hands on her as she urged her daughter under the bed to hide as the hard pounding on the door was thundering around them. She brought her hands up to her mouth to stop the sound of her sobbing from leaving her, and thus make her mother's captor aware of her presence. Next there was a deafening silence as the massive wooden door slam shut. Tears were trickling down her cheeks, her breath catching in her throat as she lay completely still for some time anticipating foreign hands to grab her and drag her out of her hiding-place. But the moment never came, and she soon realized that she was alone. It was only she and the eerie silence.   
  
  
  
  
**Chapter 1**   
  
  
He spread his wings and started to gracefully flap them up and down. The air became trapped beneath his feathers, causing him to lift off the surface. His speed increased, and he silently broke through the air. The murky green of the sky was reflected on the back of his body, making it more dull red, almost brown, than otherwise. Beneath him floated a river, its water brown and sluggish. His journey took him over hills and woods, mountains and marshes. As he neared his destination, he relaxed the pace of his wings and let the wind softly carry him towards the ground. He glided down and positioned himself on the bulky branch of an old tree. The tree was old but strong. It had endured changes during its growth. It had lived through uncountable battles, as it several times had eluded the hand of death, which had paid it a visit on so many occasions. Its bark was wrinkled with age. Its leaves reeked with the misery that had been absorbed into its very existence. He clasped his claws into the bark and his eyes darted around his surroundings. Surroundings that were familiar to him, as if the old tree was an old friend that could be trusted to stand there every time he decided to leave and return.   
  
But there was something different in the air. He felt it with his every sense. He lived through the air. He breathed it, used it as transportation, but mostly he listened to it. The air spoke of many things that were yet untold to the world. It crept into every corner of every house. It crept into every cavern of every old tree. It crept into the most hidden cave at the bottom of a forgotten mountain. It crept into every living creature. It knew things. The air was full of whispers and if you learned to listen to it, it could either strengthen your trust to the world and its inhabitants or shatter it. He crooked his head to the side and listened to the humming carried by the wind. Humming that was not heard by anyone who wasn't paying attention. Something was about to happen. He blinked with his eyes several times. Then his peak opened and he let out a hoarse cry.  An attempt at warning the world of the impending changes.   
  
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She bolted upwards, having been awaken from her sleep by the drilling cry of a bird. She immediately noticed his absence to her side. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and rose from the hard position on the ground. She felt the tickling in her legs as the blood was given the permission to flow back through the veins and arteries of her stiff limbs. She moved the cloth that covered the exit aside and stepped out. The ground was shimmering in the color of green. Would she ever get used to the sky being green instead of blue? She missed the light blue color of the sky. It was calming. The green sky was menacing. It was alien in more ways than one. It wasn't home, and she knew in her heart that it would never be. Her eyes sought him out, sitting down by the riverside. The ground was hard under her bare feet as she made her way over to him. She paused a little, standing right behind him.   
  
"I couldn't sleep," he said, as he sensed her presence.   
"I can't sleep without you," she said softly. Even though she could normally sleep, she often wished that she had his insomnia. That meant no dreams. That meant no endless searching and pain. But she also knew that his way was just as damaging. That meant too much time to think, too many opportunities for self-blame. Slowly, she sat down beside him, leaning into him. He gave her a weak smile before his eyes drifted to her feet.   
"Honey, why aren't you wearing any shoes?" he asked, his voice bearing the slight hint of scolding.   
"Oh, I forgot," she said absent-mindedly.   
He nodded. He knew just how difficult it was to go on living, to do all the everyday stuff, even though they had lost its mundane quality a long time ago.   
  
"C'mere," he said and pulled her into his lap. She cuddled up close to him, pulling her feet under her body. He could feel the cold from her feet penetrating through the fabric of his pants, radiating through his skin. He held her close to keep her warm.   
"Tell me something," she said. She felt the drowsiness of sleep starting to claim her as his warmth was starting to envelope her.   
He smiled. He knew what she wanted to hear. They had made an unspoken ritual out of telling stories of the world they had left behind them and of the people they missed.   
"You remember when Emma saw snow for the first time?" he asked and felt her nod against his chest. He had never experienced it personally, but she had caught it on camera and he had been able to see it later on that day when she had given him one of the best gifts she could ever give him. A part of his child's childhood.   
  
"She was so amazed. She was standing by the window looking out, and she couldn't grasp what those fluffy white things were."   
"She thought it was cotton, that someone had ripped into small parts," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.   
"And she kept looking upwards to see if there was someone sitting in the tree outside the window, throwing all the cotton down on the ground," he continued.   
"She loved it. I will never forget how she looked when she got outside and touched the snow and it vanished in her warm hand. She has always loved the snow...."   
The silence spread around them.   
"It doesn't snow here, does it?" she asked sadly.   
"No," he answered.   
They fell silent again, both deep in thought. Both trying to push away the feelings of guilt and grief.   
  
Soon he could hear her breathing even out and he realized that she had fallen asleep. He sat there for a while, letting the silence whirl around him. He had never experienced a silence so intense as the one inhibiting this place. It was as if there were no living creatures around them. It was as if they were all alone. He could hear the wind murmur. A language that could neither be interpreted nor understood by him. He closed his eyes and listened to her breathing. It had a calming effect on him. But he couldn't find the peace he so desperately sought for. The peace that would enable him to close his eyes and sleep. He inhaled deeply and carefully entangled her arms from around him, moving her to the ground. He didn't want her to sleep outside. It wasn't really cold. Not freezing. But he could literally feel her body temperature decreasing in the wind that chilled her skin.   
  
With her fists still stubbornly clutching his shirt, he rose and gathered her in his arms again. She was exhausted. She was sleeping a lot. But her sleep was troubled by horrific dreams, and her sleep didn't give her much relief or relaxation. It didn't offer her the rest she so desperately longed for. He carried her to the small tent. Concentrating slightly on the fabric of the opening of the tent, the cloth was pulled to the side and he was able to step inside. In the middle of the tent, a blanket was spread out on the ground. Under the blanket a material resembling hay was spread out, in order to provide some sort of softness to the sleeper. He gently positioned her body on the bed and she whimpered in her sleep as he pulled away. He needed to sleep but he was unable to. He also needed her and he happily lay down next to her and cradled her close to his body. His mind, as on countless times before, started to drift to that place in his mind where he had tucked all of his memories.   
  
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_"Liz, I'm going to Antar, and Michael and Isabel are coming with me." __  
"Of course you're going to Antar," she answered. "And I'm coming with you."   
He silently looked at her for a second, and then he shook his head.   
"No, Liz. You're safer here."   
"Are you kidding me? Don't pull that crap on me, Max! She's my daughter too. I raised her. I have a connection to her. You can't expect me to just sit back here on Earth and wait for you to come back. What if you don't come back, and I never get to see her again...or you. No Max. I'm coming with you. You are not leaving me behind!"   
  
"Liz." His voice was careful, as if talking to a hysterical person. "Listen to me. We don't know if you are able to survive there. What if the atmosphere is hostile to your body?"   
"In that case Max, it should be hostile to you too. You're body is completely human. The only thing alien is your blood, and some parts of your DNA structure. All of which are interior differences. And if you were destined to return to Antar and free your people – then they wouldn't have given you a body that couldn't survive on Antar. That doesn't make sense."   
"But they had to make a body that would fit in with the population on Earth."   
"Max, have you ever thought about why they chose Earth? Probably because Earth is similar in appearance, atmosphere and people to your home planet."   
He nodded. She was right. But he still didn't feel comfortable with her coming with him.   
  
"Liz. Don't get me wrong. I want you to come with me. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be apart from you again."   
"Then let me come with you," she said simply.   
"You will be safer here. Even if the atmosphere isn't harmful to you – the inhabitants certainly are. I have enemies there, Liz. And they will do anything to get to me."   
"They've taken our daughter, Max. I have to come with you. I will go crazy if I have to wait here on Earth – doing nothing. I need you, Max, and I need her. Don't leave me here."   
It wasn't really a plea. It was more of a warning. Liz had made up her mind, and Max realized that he couldn't stop her. He was actually relieved that she was coming with him. He didn't know what decisions he would make if she wasn't with him. Without her, he was a bleak replica of himself._   
  
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She could sense the presence of someone else in the room. She slowly opened her eyes. It was the man. The man who had been here before. The only man she had met.   
"Hi there, Emma," the man said.   
She didn't answer.   
"Are you going to talk to me today?"   
She looked down at her hands, which she had folded neatly in her lap.   
"You know, you are going to be here for a long time and it's always good to have friends when you're at a new place. Otherwise it will get so lonely. Will you be my friend?"   
"I want mommy," she said.   
He smiled, and she shrank back in the bed. That wasn't a smile. That wasn't what she knew to be a smile.   
  
"Your mommy isn't here. This is your home now. Do you want to play?"   
"I want mommy," she repeated.   
She didn't want to look at him any longer. He frightened her.   
"If you play with me...than maybe your mommy will come by later."   
She looked up at him, hope filling her heart. Would mommy come here?   
"And daddy?" she asked. If she could get mommy here, she wanted daddy too. Daddy was strong. He could take her home.   
"And daddy too."   
She had to think about this. She didn't like the fact that she had to play with that man, but she _did_ want to see her parents. Her small heart won over her thoughts of unease and she nodded.   
  
--------------------------------------------   
  
"What's the plan, Maxwell?" Michael asked.   
Max looked over the table, searching Liz's eyes. She gave him a weak smile. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.   
"I'm not sure, Michael," he said. "I'm not familiar with the environment. Nor am I familiar with the palace."   
"You think she's being held in the palace?" Isabel asked.   
Max nodded.   
"Khivar wants her close," Kira said.   
Liz shivered.   
"We have to carefully study all the blueprints we can find of the palace. We have to try to infiltrate some of your men, Kira, in the palace," Max said.   
"It will be difficult. The security is high. We need to find someone with great mind powers. Someone who is able to withstand the check up and convince them of his loyalty."   
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked.   
  
"They are doing a mind check on everyone who's about to work at the palace. They go through all your memories and makes sure that there isn't any traitorous thoughts. That there isn't any loyalty to Zan. We need someone who has strong mind powers – who can fight the inspection and hide the memories that can betray him of his true intentions of being there. You, Max...or Zan, had great mind powers in your former life. However, even if you were able to develop them the inspectors know you..."   
"Can't we change our appearances?" Michael asked, thinking that molecular manipulation should be able to be done to a face.   
  
"Theoretically, it's possible," Kira answered. "But I wouldn't recommend it. It's a rather painful state. You can say that the body can't recognize its new cells....their new positions, and it gradually shuts down. Brief manipulations have been conducted, but if it goes on for too long...you can die. Even if it was possible, and Max was to change appearance – I doubt it would work. Max...or Zan... has a powerful essence – they would recognize that something was different with him. He has the royal seal, and it can be dangerous to have when you have enemies."   
"Do you have anyone with great mind powers?" Max asked Kira.   
Kira nodded.   
"I can think of a few candidates. But they probably have to train some before. This has to be done correctly. It's a hazardously thin line we're threading, Max."   
  
"I want to start train my powers as well – we all need to do that," Max said. "And I need those blueprints."   
"There's something you should know about the blueprints," Kira said. "They may not be completely accurate. The palace is constantly rebuilt. That's one of the ways to heighten the security. They haven't been able to stop blueprints from being spread – so they started to change the palace instead. The older the blueprint, the more inaccurate."   
"They're changing the palace the whole time? How do they do that?" Isabel asked, confusion written over her face. It was not that easy to rebuild. That would mean that the palace was a constant construction area.   
"They have their ways," Kira said.   
  
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"Emma, listen to me," the man said. "If you want to meet your mommy and daddy again, you have to fix this. It hurts..."   
Emma looked at the wound on the man's hand. He had frightened her when he had took a knife and had pressed it against his skin – slicing it like a piece of bread. She couldn't understand why he would do that to himself, and _then_ ask her if she could fix it again. If he didn't want to be hurt, why had he done it? She didn't feel like helping him. She didn't like him. But even if she had wanted to help him – she didn't know how to. She understood what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to heal his wound, like she had done with her mommy when she had burnt her hand. But Emma had never stopped to wonder why or how she had been able to do that. She just had. She had felt her mommy's pain and she had wanted to make her feel better again.   
  
Then there was that feeling of caution that was an almost natural part of her personality. Her mother had told her that she had to be careful. Her mother had not been afraid with what she could do, Emma knew that. But her mommy had understood that it wasn't something that other people should see. She had told Emma that she was special. That was what made her able to do that. And then her daddy and mommy had told her that she had...special talents. But they had also told her that bad people wanted to do bad things to her if she told. The talents were a secret. Her daddy also had special talents...and mommy, and it was their secret. She didn't feel comfortable with revealing that secret. She might be only four years old – soon five – but she wasn't stupid. Their secret was something she held close to her heart, something that she shared together with her parents, and she wasn't about to let some scary man find out about her secret.   
  
She firmly shook her head, announcing that she wasn't going to heal him.   
"I can't," she answered, a stubborn look on her face.   
The man eyed the determined little girl. She was a clever girl, but she wasn't so good at lying – which she was. Lying. But unfortunately he needed proof. He could right now say that Emma probably had inherited healing powers, but he would never be completely certain. He needed to assess just how powerful she was. He needed to know how big the threat was. Knowledge was power, and he just had to be a little more persuasive in his actions.   
"Emma, I'll give you one last chance to think about this. I would be very happy if you could heal my hand. You know, make me feel better."   
Emma remained silent, looking down at her hands again. He waited patiently, then he nodded.   
"Okay, let's get you to another room."   
She looked up at him – the fear sharply displayed in her eyes. His voice was cold, and it made her shiver. Suddenly she wanted very much to reveal the secret, to heal him, but she didn't know how.   
  
  


TBC…


	35. Book 2 Chapter 2

_Hi everyone! I apologize for the long absence. At first I couldn't access this site and then the internet crashed. After my brother had fixed our internet connection, I had so much to do at work that there was little time left to update. I apologize. I'm gonna post four chapters today._

_Thank you all so much for the feedback!!!_

**Just a small warning. The following chapter is rated R due to sexual content. If you don't want to read it because of that, contact me and I'll give you the censured short version :)**

**Chapter 2 (R-rated)**   
  
*What if she isn't able to heal?*   
*She's Zan's heir, and he has the ability to heal.*   
*Yes, but healing is a recessive gene – that's what's making it so rare.*   
*There's something about her. She has the same aura about her that Zan had as he was younger. I'm almost positive that she has inherited the healing powers.*   
*Then why did she not heal?*   
*Because she's a stubborn child?*   
*She's four - in human years. We offered her to meet her parents if she healed you. That would have convinced any child – especially if it is held against its will by people it doesn't know. If she could heal, she would've.*   
*Maybe it's the block that shut down her powers. Maybe we've been wrong to where the healing powers are localized in her brain, and the block is preventing her from tapping into them."   
"We can't remove the block – then she will contact her parents.*   
*It's not certain that she even has a connection. Her mother is human.*   
*Yes...but we can't risk that.*   
*Just for a little while.*   
There was a pause as the suggestion was pondered.   
*Alright, but then you really have to have her co-operate with you – otherwise we are taking a great risk for nothing.*   
*Yes, of course.*   
*And we don't inform Khivar of this – not until we know that it has worked. Because if it doesn't, and he finds out – he'll have us slained.*   
The other man swallowed convulsively and nodded.   
  
-----------------------------------------   
  
She felt his lips brush against her forehead, and she slowly opened her eyes.   
"Hey," he greeted her softly. "How did you sleep?"   
He was leaning over her, a gentle smile playing at the corners of his mouth. To see her waking up in the morning always made him smile.   
Liz yawned, and then gave him a small smile.   
"Actually pretty good," she answered.   
Max nodded.   
"I could sleep tonight too," he said.   
Somehow this made Liz worried, and she bolted upwards from her horizontal position, almost knocking Max over. He looked at her – surprise etching his features.   
"What?"   
"I don't know," Liz said. "That just make feel so uneasy."   
Max frowned. He had learned to trust Liz's instincts – they were often right.   
"You haven't been able to sleep for more than one hour tops since... " She left it unspoken – to difficult to voice. "And now suddenly you can sleep – and on top of that _I_ have a good night – free from dreams."   
Max sat down beside her on the 'bed', and took her hand.   
"Try to reach out for her," he prompted.   
  
Liz closed her eyes and focused on the little brown-haired girl, with the deep and warm amber eyes. She focused on her sunny smile and her pearling laughter. She gasped as she felt her. She felt Max squeeze her hand – but he was far away. She was deep in her mind, trying to reach into her daughter's mind. But she couldn't get in. She crashed back to reality. She opened her eyes, and inhaled sharply as her lungs were filled with air.   
"What happened?" Max asked – concern mixed with hope in his voice.   
She swallowed and then lunged herself at him, curling up against his warm chest. Max could feel her conflicting emotions through the connection – the most evident being relief. He held her tightly to him – trying to calm her by shoveling his own feelings of anxiety to the side and focusing on sending her calmness.   
"I felt her, Max," Liz whispered.   
"You did?" Max asked, his whispered voice cracking with emotion.   
"But I can't get inside her mind. She isn't letting me in. But she's alive....and she's not in any pain."   
Max closed his eyes, feeling a part of his heart springing to life again as the much longed after feeling of relief started to take away some of the guilt that had infested itself in his whole being. They sat there in the silence and held on to each other, as their daughter was being pounded with questions some miles away.   
  
------------------------------------------------   
  
The man looked at the little girl who was curled up in one corner of the room – her eyes stubbornly squeezed shut.   
"Why can't you help me, Emma?"   
She didn't answer. She hadn't given him an answer to anything he had said to her, since they had taken her out of that isolation cell. He began to wonder if it had been an effective decision or not to 'punish' her like that. She seemed more detached – more introvert. He was getting increasingly agitated that she was reaching out to her parents. He had to do something. He turned to the communicator that was put in the wall and called one of his men to bring the test subject.   
  
Emma looked up as she heard the door open. Her eyes went wide as she saw a little puppy being handed to the frightening man.   
"Look what I've got, Emma," the man said and held up the puppy to her. The dog had been retrieved from Earth. They didn't have dogs on Antar.   
He could see the interest flash in her eyes – and he could see how desperately she tried to not show her excitement. They didn't have much time – far too much time had already passed. So he moved his hand to the dog's head, and squeezed. The puppy started to whimper, and Emma stood up quickly – moving towards the puppy. There was still caution in her steps – but her eyes were fixed on the puppy. She could feel its pain course through her body – she could feel it just by looking into those beautiful brown eyes.   
"Stop it!" she cried. "You hurting him!"   
He stopped and removed his hand, but there was now a wound on the top of the puppy's head – above its head.   
"You hurt him," Emma said – tears shimmering in her eyes.   
"You can make him feel better," the man said. Emma looked at the mean man. She couldn't understand why he would hurt that little puppy. It hadn't done anything to him. But _she_ could make it feel better, and that was what she was going to do.   
  
She didn't like the fact that she had to step closer to the frightening man – but her compassion for the little dog made her move her short legs. Her eyes were fixed on the puppy, and she failed to notice the smug that crept over the man's face as he realized that she was going to do it. She looked into his sad eyes, as she slowly put her small hand over his ear – covering the wound. The dog whimpered some, then Emma removed her hand. The man looked down as Emma removed his hand. He had seen the glow radiating from her hand, and now he could no longer see any trace of the wound that was once on the top of the puppy's head. He had never personally witnessed a healing, and he was awestruck with the powers of this little girl. Emma looked up at him with sad eyes.   
"Don't hurt him again," she said. The man looked at her – not being able to hide the surprise that flashed by in his eyes. Her statement wasn't a plea, but an order and the authority to her voice was clearly registered. He squinted his eyes in dislike and then put his hand to the side of her head. Before she could react he had formed the connection that would once again close the connection with her mother.   
  
-----------------------------------------------   
  
"No," Liz said slowly, devastation in her voice, moving away from Max's embrace.   
"What? What?" Max asked, his heart missing a beat at the agony in her voice.   
"I lost her," Liz said slowly. "I lost her."   
Max searched her face and tried to push away the feelings of nausea that threatened to claim him. It had almost been better if they hadn't gotten any contact with Emma. To have been able to experience hope, to just have it squashed again just as quickly was more painful than he could ever imagine. As he pushed back his feelings to the place in his mind where he could store everything that he couldn't bare to deal with, he was able to focus on the emotions he felt floating through the connection. The feelings of disappointment, failure, and guilt from Liz.   
"Honey," he said and gently put a finger under her chin to direct her eyes to him. But she kept staring at some point behind him.   
"I couldn't hang on to the connection," Liz said, her voice colder than Max had ever heard it and it chilled him to the bones.   
"Liz, you did everything you could. Your powers aren't as advanced yet. Don't blame yourself," Max said softly.   
"What if they hurt her, Max?" Liz asked – her question turning Max's blood into ice. "What if they kill her?"   
"No, Liz," he whispered. "We are not going to let them do that. We are going to find her. Do you hear me? We are going to find her, and bring her home."   
  
A sob erupted from Liz's throat and she nodded slowly. It frightened Max that Liz was starting to doubt. Of course the doubts and insecurities were always present, but Liz never broke down. She always kept up a brave exterior – even though she knew that Max could feel the truth through the connection. It was more often Liz that comforted Max, when he was being devoured by guilt for not being able to protect his daughter from harm. He put his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. He planted small kisses at the side of her neck. He could feel her calming down through the connection, but only to quickly be replaced by something else. She pulled out of his embrace again, and locked her lips with his. He could taste her salty tears on her lips, as his passion for her (which was always to some degree there) flared open.   
"I need you," she whimpered in his mouth. Her desperate and lonely plea did strange things to him. He cradled the back of her head with his hand and angled her head so that he could get greater access to her mouth. He felt the deepest sense of wanting to protect her, of wanting her. Wanting her to be safe, and happy. His lips brushed over hers, sending sparkles through their bodies. Their tongues tangled together, their hands rooming over their bodies. They were trying to find solace to the loneliness that was creeping into their bodies. Tears were still running down Liz's face as she put her hands on Max's hip, took a hold of the edge of his shirt and started to tug it upwards. Their lips only broke contact long enough to remove the article of clothing. Liz's lips left Max's and moved downwards. The stubble on his chin tickled her lips as they brushed over the texture, making her want for him even deeper. She needed to feel him. All of him.   
  
"Liz," he groaned as her lips touched his bare chest, warming his insides with her feathery touch.   
His hands had crawled under shirt, caressing her back. His movements were restless. He needed to feel all of her - at the same time. He pulled out his hands from under the shirt, Liz gasping softly at the loss of his warm hands on her bare skin. He took hold of her shirt and pulled it upwards. She stopped loving his chest with her lips and lifted her hands upwards to help him to remove the shirt. She had nothing under the shirt and the shirt was quickly forgotten as soon as it left Max's hands and floated to the ground. His hands found their way back to cradle her face, his thumbs gently moving against his cheeks. He started to kiss her tears away, gently trying to remove the traces of bitterness and hopelessness. His gently kisses made more tears well up in her eyes, and she sought out his mouth again. His hands fell to her bare back, his caressing heating her body. She unconsciously scooted closer to him, and they both gasped as her bare chest came into contact with his. The touch was electrifying. Their kisses became more passionate – grew more urgent. Max's warm palm skimmed back and forth over her smooth skin, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Their bodies were gradually heating up, and their breathing grew shallower - faster. Their feelings matched each others through the connection, the connection serving to amplifying the already intense emotions. They needed the comfort only the bonding of their bodies could provide. They needed to feel whole – complete.   
  
Max kissed Liz's last tears away as he lowered her down on her back on the mattress. Their hands never stopped touching. They needed each other in every way, and every touch was able to bring them some console. Max's hands were strong and powerful hands. They had the ability to heal, but also to protect. The gentleness of his hands and his soul never stopped to amaze her. His palms spread a tingling warmth wherever they touched and as his lips followed the movements of his hands over her soft belly a charged current coursed through her body, making her hunger for him even greater. She moaned as he raked his teeth gently across a spot just below her ribs. Her breasts ached after his touch. His lips were caressing her skin with open-mouthed suckling kisses, while his thumbs were stroking the edge of her breast ever so tenderly. But it was driving her crazy.   
  
"Max, please," she whimpered, her body screaming out for him. Her plea was loud and clear in his mind, and he lifted his head to look at her. Her eyes were closed, some traces of tears still present in the corners of her eyes. Her mouth was slightly open, her lips red and swollen. Her hair was spread out around her face, but it was her face that caught him. It was the expression of pure pleasure on her face that in that moment made him want her more than he had ever wanted her. His hand moved to the side of her breast, the feathery touch making Liz arch her back up against Max - her head tilting backwards - a moan escaping her beautiful lips. He moved his hand slowly up over the swell of her breast, feeling the small tremors going through her body - feeling her feelings combined with his through the connection. It was a marvelous feeling. He could feel everything she was feeling, and she could feel everything he was feeling. They were one more now than in any other time. The only time they could really feel each other on this plane of fulfillment was when they were joined - when they were making love. And right now they needed to feel that connection more than they had ever needed before. His thumb brushed over her nipple, and they both gasped at the electric thrills jolting through their bodies at the contact. Images of their life together started to flash in front of their eyes, making their need for each other increase. Their feelings were bringing them to a climax just by the contact of their minds stimulating the other.   
  
Liz's hands dove into the dark soft curls that covered his head, urging his mouth down to hers. Their mouths came together in a silent explosion of need, their tongues seeking each other out and they were feeding on the taste of the other. Max leaned down on Liz - feeling her nipples brush against the hard planes of his chest - as he rested most of his weight on his elbows. The touches were sizzling, filled with electricity. He was pulling her close to him, as if he wanted to absorb her into his very flesh. Liz put her arms around him, her finger nails brushing against his skin making him shudder with lust.   
"Liz," he moaned, and his lips left hers to travel down her neck - brushing over her collarbone. Wanting to taste every millimeter of her. Nothing went unexplored under his touches. But Liz needed him now - she couldn't wait any longer. Her body was aching for him. She needed to feel him inside of her. She needed him to complete her. His lips reached her breasts and he left hot trails of kisses along the soft skin. His breathing matched hers, the quickening of their hearts acting simultaneously.   
  
Liz's hands moved down Max's back to the edge of his pants, and found their way inside his pants brushing over his firm buttocks. God, she needed him. This strong man, with the gentle heart but powerful soul. The intensity of her need for him almost frightened her. He groaned her name as he felt her small hands touch him, the groan making his lips vibrate against her breast, making Liz arch her back against him again.   
"Max, " her voice a raspy whisper. The tip of his tongue flickered over her nipple, making her breathing almost painful. She lifted her upper body, her movements urgent as she tried to remove Max's pants. Max's lips left Liz's breast, the loss of his heat making her whimper. He put his hands over hers and took over the task of removing the last piece of clothing. His hands moved to her pants and pulled them down. Their movements were now urgent, the need for the other almost too much to bear. Max positioned himself at her entrance, and before he entered her he caught her eyes.   
  
"I love you," Liz whispered, her breathing shallow.   
"My love," Max whispered and captured her lips in a soft kiss that was in sharp contrast to the turmoil and intensity of feelings riveting through their bodies. He entered her slowly, his control being on the edge of unnatural. He wanted to love her slowly, gently. He needed her to feel all his love for her. He needed her to feel that she was his whole life. He needed her to feel his reassurance that everything was going to be all right. But he also needed to feel her love. Their bodies moved together, their minds melting together along with the movements of their bodies. Their bodies moved faster as they the pressure was increasing, and they tumbled over the edge almost simultaneously - both crying out as the waves of pleasure went through their bodies. Max collapsed on Liz, his arms around her. She pulled him close to her - their bodies molding together. He was still inside of her - still connected - and they soon feel asleep.

TBC…


	36. Book 2 Chapter 3

_A/N: Just a quick reminder - The dialogue between * is spoken in Antarian... __  
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**Chapter 3**   
  
The halls were towering in front of her - their ceilings painted in the lightest blue, capturing the green glow of the sky outside in perfect harmony. Still, the same halls - with their supporting pillars lining the walls - were menacing to her. They were menacing because of everything they stood for - everything they represented: wealth, power, authority, greed, suppression, parsimony... death. The soft thudding of the soles of her shoes bounced off the walls, intensifying with each instant of impact. There were few Antarians in these halls. Antar was appearing increasingly desolate. Its inhabitants were hiding. Hiding from the very same things that resounded through these halls.   
  
There were doors lining the hall on her left. On her right the upper part of the wall was replaced with a silverish substance that caught the light of the red sun and let it spill over the stone floor. A soldier from the King's command guarded each door, their bodies frozen in position as if they weren't even alive. But if you would try to sneak past them you would instantaneously be penetrated by one of their deathly strikes. The King's men were strong and powerful. They were trained to be their best - but so was she. That's why she had been summoned today. The Livenders had commanded her presence, and she could do nothing but comply. She reached the door at the end of the hall. This door was larger, and its dark appearance menacing. The bulky guard immediately stepped up to her as she approached the door.   
  
*Your business here?* he huffed.   
*I am to meet with The Livenders,* she said, her head taking on the correct angle to show her respect for the guard but at the same time not show insecurity or fear.   
*Have they requested your presence?* the guard asked, a hint of hostility in his voice.   
*Yes,* she answered.   
*What is your name?*   
*Serena.*   
The guard put out his hands and let them hover over her, seeking out her essence - verifying her nature.   
The guard announced, *You are free to enter the realm of The Livenders,* as he removed his hands from her body. With a wave of his hand the door disintegrated. She stepped through the slight mist that worked as a protection against intruders and found herself in a large room. The high ceiling was supported by pillars that were covered in the most rare and beautiful colors she had ever seen. The floor was black stone and the rays of the sun spilled over it - making it cascade in beams of soft red. There were no walls. It was as if she were outside. Nevertheless, she knew that it was all just an illusion - a creation of powerful minds and hands. There _were_ walls, but just as in the hall you could see through them. In contrast with the walls in the hall - these walls appeared to be non-existent from the inside - but appeared to be stone walls seen from the outside.   
  
*Emotival Serena,* a deep voice greeted her and she turned around to face the source of the voice.   
The man was about her height, with dark eyes - almost pitch black. His features were strongly marked in his face. His lips were long and thin - his mouth quite big. She could read his calmness and subdued authority.   
*Livender Laiko, master,* she responded, casting her eyes downwards while bowing her head slightly.   
*I'm pleased to have you here.* His deep voice echoed in the nearly empty room. *Let's move into the Lower Chambers.*   
*Yes, master.* She followed him across the large floor into a little more restricted space where lumrosas were hovering in the air. She had heard some about these lumrosas. They were used to sit on - like chairs. As you sat on them, you could hardly feel that you were sitting - it was as if you were flying in the air.   
*Take a seat, Emotival Serena,* Laiko said, waving his hand in the direction of the lumrosas.   
Serena sat down on the hovering green lumrosa, feeling it shift under her weight - as if it were accustoming itself to her and her body. It was an amazing feeling. It was as if the lumrosa became a part of her, a part of her body.   
  
*Time is of great importance, so I will inform you promptly of my reasons for summoning you.* Laiko positioned himself in the lumrosa across from Serena.   
*Thank you, master.*   
*You have been brought here in light of your reputation. Khivar has requested your assistance on a very delicate matter. Since you are known for your capability to register emotions, the King has found you a suitable match.*   
Serena waited patiently for him to continue. She had a feeling this was something big. If the King himself had requested her, it must be a very important matter.   
*We want you to take care of a child,* Laiko said.   
*Excuse me, master?* she said in an inquisitive tone. Had she understood him correctly? Was the 'delicate matter' her baby-sitting?   
*The prominence of this child is of high significance,* Laiko continued. *However, since the child arrived she has shown close to no co-operation. The King believes the child needs a female.*   
*A female, master?*   
  
*The child needs a substitute for her mother,* Laiko answered.   
*Is the mother dead, master?* Serena asked, already feeling sympathy for this child.   
*Yes,* Laiko answered. Serena furrowed her eyebrows slightly at this. She had sensed a flicker of deception in his emotional radiation. Her suspicion and curiosity were peaked to say the least. What was so special about this child?   
*The child needs...uhm...love, * Laiko said. *Considering your own loss, you are even more qualified for the matter.*   
*Yes, master,* Serena said, her thoughts swirling around in her head.   
*Will you accept the offer?* Laiko asked.   
Serena didn't even need time to think about it. This whole matter intrigued her. She wanted to know what child they were talking about.   
*Yes. Thank you, master,* Serena said.   
*Then I thank you for your co-operation. You will be compensated in accordance with your accomplishments with the child.*   
  
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She was surprised to find the door to be of a peasant quality. It did not disintegrate under the touch of the guard, but was instead unlocked and swung open inwards. She was prompted to go into the room, and the door swung close behind her, leaving her alone. But she wasn't alone. The room was fairly small. It had a little bed, and a small wooden table with one little chair by one side of the room. There were no windows, but the room was nevertheless bathed in light. There were spotlights lining the edges of the ceiling where it met the walls. Serena had to blink repeatedly before her eyes grew accustomed to the intensity of the light. She was immediately struck by the emotions that were simmering in the room. Her eyes tried to seek out the source of the feelings - the child she was supposed to meet. She saw her sitting in the corner, behind the little wooden chair. Her knees were pulled up to her chest - her face hidden behind her knees. The little girl was dressed in a white dress, her bare legs looking pale in the white light. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, some of it shielding her face. She didn't even look up as the sound of the door closing echoed through the room.   
  
Serena slowly approached the small figure, and she winced as she saw the little girl flinch and press up even further against the wall as Serena stepped closer. Serena could both see and feel how frightened the girl was. What had made her so frightened? She kneeled beside the girl, although she left some distance between them. She didn't want to frighten the child more than she already had.   
"Hey," she said softly. The human word felt unnatural on her tongue. She had been going through an intensive course to learn the Earth language American. She had been surprised to say the least to find out that the little girl was from another planet. However, as her eyes took in the appearance of the little girl she couldn't see anything different about her from ordinary Antarians. She didn't know much about Earth, but she would certainly try to find out as much as possible after this visit. She needed to know what kind of environment and culture this girl had been brought up in.   
  
The girl didn't look up but Serena could feel that her feelings were changing; some of her fear was dissipating.   
"How are you feeling today," Serena asked slowly, trying her best to form the words correctly.   
The girl lifted her head slightly, and Serena could see the girl looking at her through her dark bangs.   
"I see that you have a beautiful dress on today," Serena continued. "Do you like dresses?"   
The girl shook her head and Serena was happy that she had been able to trigger a response.   
"What do you like to wear?"   
The girl didn't answer, but Serena wasn't going to give up.   
"I like dresses," Serena continued. "But I want them to have a little more color. I love blue. Which color do you like?"   
The girl nodded her head slightly.   
"You like blue too?"   
The girl nodded again, stealing another peek at Serena. The girl's emotions were easy to access, but they were so multilevel that they were somewhat tricky to interpret.   
"What else do you like?" Serena asked. She didn't expect to get an answer, and was surprised to hear her little voice.   
"Mommy," she whispered.   
"Mommy?" Serena repeated, as she quickly tried to find the word in the vocabulary she had learnt. "Your mother?" She asked the first word she could think about.   
  
The girl nodded again.   
"You know what?" Serena said, "I liked my mother too."   
The girl tilted her head up and Serena found herself looking into the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. There was such depth in them, and an innocence that left her dumbfounded. They were of a color that she'd never seen in Antarian eyes. Antarian eyes were either green, light blue or black - never brown. These were brown with flickers of gold in them. The hurt and sadness she saw in those expressive eyes broke her heart and she wanted to take that little girl in her arms and hug her. Assure her that everything was going to be all right.   
"I want my mommy," the little girl said.   
Serena felt tears stinging her eyes. The little girl's mother was dead, and she obviously didn't know.   
"You miss your mommy, huh?"   
The little girl nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "I want to go home."   
"I miss my mommy too," Serena said.   
"Your mommy's gone too?" the little girl asked.   
Serena nodded, scooting a little closer to the girl and felt some sense of joy and relief in her heart when the girl didn't flinch as she moved closer.   
"Yes," Serena answered. "My mother died when I was little."   
Serena was amazed to feel sympathy flare through the little girl's emotions. That this tiny girl could feel such genuine sympathy towards a grown up - a stranger - was beyond her.   
"Were you as small as I am?" the girl asked tentatively.   
  
Serena nodded. "Yes," she answered. "You miss your mommy?"   
The girl nodded her head.   
"What's your name?" Serena asked.   
"Emma," the girl answered.   
"Emma," Serena repeated, tasting the Earthly name on her tongue. "That's a beautiful name. I'm Serena."   
"I've never heard that name before," Emma said.   
Serena smiled at her matter-of-fact tone. This girl was strong.   
"No, it's an unusual name," Serena said, thinking that it was an alien name to an Earth girl. "It was nice meeting you, Emma."   
Emma's head shot up, and fear flashed in her eyes.   
"Are you leabing?" she asked.   
Serena quickly got her mind around Emma's mispronunciation of the word and answered in her best calming voice. "No, I'm not leaving."   
  
The relief she could feel oozing off the child was extremely intense. What had happened to this child? Her inquisitive mind was already going over all the different things that were wrong with this picture. Why would people on Antar be so interested in a child from Earth? And more importantly, why would a child be taken from Earth to begin with? Had the mother died on Earth or had she died here? If the latter alternative was true, why had they traveled here? Was it common knowledge on Earth that there was life on other planets? Was Earth as developed as Antar? In that case, why weren?t there more Earth habitants coming to Antar? And why was this little girl locked up in the palace with a guard and double locks on the door? Why did her room remind Serena of a laboratory with its strong lights and bare furniture? She had got to find more information on this. She felt the strongest urge to help this child.   
  
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She could feel his warm lips touch her forehead, brushing over her closed eyelids and stopping to linger at her lips that were curling up in a small smile.   
"Morning," Max said, as he could feel her wake up through their connection. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.   
"I love waking up this way," she murmured.   
"Well, you don't hear me complaining," Max answered. "Are you hungry? Michael made breakfast."   
Liz curled up closer to his body, letting out a sigh of contentment as she felt his arms tighten around her.   
"I guess not," he said, planting a light kiss on her temple.   
"I just wanna stay here for a while, and forget about everything," Liz said. Max knew exactly what she meant. Neither one of them wanted to think about the fact that they were really laying on a thin mattress, positioned in a little tent, which was located someplace out in nowhere on a foreign planet in a foreign solar system.   
"Hey! Are you awake in there?" Michael?s voice grunted outside the tent. They could see the contours of his body moving outside the tent, towards its opening.   
"We'll be right there," Max answered.   
"Okay, food's gonna be cold, you know," Michael huffed.   
"We'll be right there!" Max repeated.   
  
Liz giggled as they watched Michael?s shadow disappear from the tent. "He's getting a bit sensitive in old days, isn?t he?"   
Max smiled, looking deeply into her eyes - once again mesmerized by her beauty - as he removed one of the strands of her dark hair from her forehead.   
"Yeah, I'm actually starting to miss the whole I-don't-give-a-shit-about-what-anyone-else-says attitude."   
He leaned down to give her a soft kiss. Liz closed her eyes, relishing in the taste of his lips.   
"I guess we should get going," Max said. "We have a long day ahead of us, and we should probably start off with a healthy breakfast."   
Liz sighed, hating the feeling of reality trying to seep into her dream world.   
"You're right," she said. She knew that she had to do this. She was going to practice with her new powers. She had never tried to control them before, but she knew that she had to practice so that she could later use them to save her daughter. It was going to a long day all right. A very long day.

TBC…


	37. Book 2 Chapter 4

_A/N: This chapter is somewhat out of the ordinary... the fic will be returning to its original "style" in the next chapter __:)  
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**Chapter 4**

  
  
Let me tell you a story. Like any good story it has princes, princesses, kings, queens and villains in it. It could even start with "Once upon a time..." But this isn't a fairy tale. There are certain elements that might tell you otherwise, such as the fact that the main characters in the story have powers. Yes, that's right. They can do all these cool stuff just by thinking about it. If they one day wake up and take a look in their closet and they don't like what they see, they can just wave their hand and they suddenly have a completely new wardrobe. And homework...well, that's no problem. See, with their advanced minds, homework is no biggie! They can just skim through it once and they will remember it forever. But this story isn't just about powers - you've probably already figured that one out.   
  
This story goes _way_ beyond that. Let's go back in time, about eighty years. We travel through space, gracefully avoiding all of the planets (hey, it's going really fast here, okay?!) and we suddenly find ourselves on a green planet. Well, that's what it looks like on the outside, because the atmosphere consists of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and a lot of other trace gases. Some of you might stop here and think... Isn't that the same gases that the atmosphere on Earth consists of? Well, right you are! However, on this far-away planet, the composition, and more specifically, the amount of the different gases is different from Earth. For instance, the gas called oxygen that is so important on Earth for metabolic reactions to occur is not as abundant on this planet.   
  
The lack of oxygen has of course some ramifications on the appearance of the habitants. Due to the lack of oxygen, the processes in the body aren't able to work as fast. Result; the inhabitants are smaller in height. However, they are also more healthy-looking. They have rosier demeanor than Earthlings, since more red blood cells (the ones that binds the oxygen and transport it to the different areas of our body through the blood) are produced to bind as much oxygen as possible. Otherwise, they are pretty similar to Earthlings. The importance of this similarity will show itself later.   
  
So, let's move on. We are now on that far away planet, and it's a really exotic place. Let's call it Antar. The sky is, as mentioned, green and the sun is red. The sun in this solar system is dying - but the inhabitants of this planet have existed for a long, long time. Let me put it into perspective. When the very first humans started traveling out from Africa to spread across the Earth's surface, the Antarians had already invented highly advanced technology. However, there are some differences here of course, and this is where the royalties come in. We have our beautiful queen, and our handsome king. They are actually getting to rule the whole planet. Not just some part; they have to make decisions that affect the whole planet. We're talking _big_ responsibilities here.   
  
As Earth is putting a time of hierarchy behind them, Antar is actually embracing the idea. We have the peasants: the poor people feeding off of the land, barely making it through the day. They live in cottages in their fields. We have the bourgeois - well, let's call them that for now. They are in the middle class. They are often working in the defense sector, or as counselors to the royalty. Unfortunately, there is an abundance of the poor. Not all are peasants - some are fishermen or foresters. Also, there are the separatists… but I will come back to them later. Finally, we have the royal family. They are at the top of society, of course.   
  
Remember this beautiful royal couple I mentioned? Well, they had two children; one boy and one girl. The boy was quiet and shy, whereas the girl was talkative and outgoing. They were as different as night and day, and sadly they never really got along. They couldn't understand each other. It wasn't just sibling rivalry. No, it was something much deeper than that. They grew up in the confines of the palace. They never really understood what was going on outside those walls. This is where the bad guys come in, the villains. Yes, we have to have a villain. See, there were other planets nearby. Since traveling through space was not as much of a problem anymore, another planet could be compared to another country to us Earthlings. Traveling to the neighbor planet was like traveling across the country border to the neighbor country. Quite simple.   
  
But there was a war going on. There was a lot of politics in it too, but I'm not going to go into that. Notice how in every story there's an arch-villain. Take for instance, another alien: Clark Kent, also known as Superman. Sure, he had a lot of enemies. Many wanted that guy killed, but the person who hated him the most was Lex Luther. Tumtada dum!! The arch-villain. Well, in this story there is also an arch-villain, by the name of Khivar. He wanted power. He wanted wealth. He wanted control. And he wanted Antar. He actually already had his own planet, but I guess that wasn't good enough for him. He wanted more. Greed is an ugly trait, and it's one not only possessed by humans. So he started to form a plan. He gathered men. He trained them. He made their hearts as cold as stone. He made their minds as sharp as a needle. While his men were being trained for battle, he was preparing for the ultimate goal: to bring down the king of Antar and his successors.   
  
One day he actually succeeded. He killed the king. Remember the quiet and shy little boy? Well, he was now about eighteen in Earth years, so when his father was assassinated, that boy was in line to be the next king of Antar. But a king can't rule alone; he needs a wife. On another planet close by there was a young girl who had just turned sixteen. The boy's father, the king who was assassinated, had planned with his wife to have his son marry this young woman. It politically advantageous to unite the two planets through marriage; the girl was of royal blood, so through marriage the couple could rule both planets and would have more resources. The king died before he could see his son marry, but his wife wasn't going to let the opportunity slip out of her hands.   
  
At that moment in time, there was an even larger reason for the son and woman to join in marriage, as they were on a brink of war. They would have more men to fight on their side if they were to join the two planets. The boy was called Zan. The young woman was called Ava. Their marriage was to bring peace to not only their planets, but to the whole solar system. They were to make decisions side by side to stop the advance of the enemy. However, they were still children in many ways. They had never directly experienced the world outside the walls of the palace. What they knew they had acquired through learning programs, emotionless machines. They knew almost nothing of the world they were about to rule. The story takes a bad turn from here on out, but it isn't over yet...   
  
I also mentioned Zan's sister. Her name was Vilandra, and she was very beautiful. Stunning. The men took one look at her and she captured them forever. She was everything you would expect from a princess. She had the beauty, she had the intelligence; she even had her white stallion. But this princess wasn't like the princesses we love from our precious fairy-tales. She wasn't a Cinderella, or a Snow-White. She didn't find pleasure in helping children, or talking to animals. She watched her brother grow up, and the jealousy inside of her grew along with it. She wanted fame. She wanted attention. She wanted everyone to look at her, to admire her. She wanted them to want to be her, and to envy her. But most of all, she wanted power, because that was what was going to make her famous.   
  
She had no greater interest in making boring decisions about the welfare of the planet. No. She was going to marry and let her husband rule, so that she could stand by his side and be envied. She could dress up for all the parties, and could feel the admiration from the women and men around her. She was going to marry Khivar. Yes. That was her plan. They both wanted the same thing. They wanted Zan out of the picture. Vilandra wasn't aware of the fact that Khivar had actually murdered her father. Being the cunning villain that he was, Khivar had hidden his tracks well - making the assassination appear as if it was at the hands of the rebels. Yes, a form of separatists. Vilandra wasn't completely evil. She was too blinded by jealousy and greed. She didn't really wish her brother's death but, sadly, she didn't realize that until it was too late.   
  
With those ominous words we move on to a happier occasion. At least that's what it looks like on the outside. It was the day of Zan and Ava's wedding. Let me tell you something about Zan. He never really wanted to be a leader. He wasn't interested in power or wealth. He felt as if he were meant to do something else with his life. He wanted to go out among the people. He wanted to see the world, to experience the world, to drink in the world. Ironically, this was what made him a true leader. He was born a leader, not only by title, but also by his essence. He wanted a better world, and what better place to do that from than from the throne? But there was a void inside of him. He never truly felt alive. He missed something in his life - something he knew he was going to recognize as soon as he saw it. He was certain of one thing. The sixteen-year-old girl that was to be his wife wasn't it.   
  
You see, as in most stories where there are kings and queens, princes and princesses - we also have arranged marriages. Zan didn't really have a choice. He had been secretly betrothed to Ava as a young man. You might think that now that he was the king he would be able to take that rule away and not marry Ava. But he also needed support. He needed someone to stand by him. He couldn't rule by himself. He felt that his sister was turning away from him, and his mother was so persistent that he marry Ava. He didn't have the will or strength to fight. He didn't have anything to fight _for_. The wedding was beautiful. It was truly spectacular. Several Antarians were there to see their new royal couple because they had doubt in the capacity of these young people, but they were willing to let the new rulers prove them wrong.   
  
I want to tell you that everything turned out all right. That perhaps Zan and Ava _did_ learn to love each other, and that Zan found a purpose in his life. But I can't. Vilandra was sneaking off in the middle of the night to have secret meetings with Khivar. They whispered plans in each other's ears under the covers. They made plans for Zan's destruction. The only support Zan could find was in his best friend Rath. He was the only one Zan trusted. Zan ruled well. He did everything by the book, as his father had told him, as the machines had taught him. But there was no feeling, and the planet was falling apart.   
  
In one last attempt to bring his kingdom together, Zan suggested that Rath would take Vilandra as his wife. Rath accepted the request out of loyalty to his king. Vilandra protested - loudly. I guess you could say that the marriage was the final drop that made it all spill over. The plan was to kill Zan and Ava at a party. Everything turned into a big mess, ending with far more casualties than just the two planned. Vilandra, realizing what was going to happen to her brother, rushed straight into the line of fire. She died. Zan was hit by the next blast and was instantly killed. Rath died trying to protect Ava, after having failed to reach his king in time. Ava was killed shortly thereafter. Now, I know that in fairy-tales the good guys always win and the bad guys always lose. Well, this time the bad guys won. But just for then.   
  
See, researchers had found that there was a planet similar enough to Antar in both atmosphere and in the appearance of its inhabitants. Guess which planet? I give you a clue. You're on it. Yes, that's right. Planet Earth. So an advanced plan was being formed. Actually, this plan had been under construction so to speak, since the older king had been assassinated. Because Zan was the last living heir to the throne, he was very important. As long as he lived, Khivar couldn't take over the planet. Khivar knew that, so he had Zan murdered. However, Zan's men also knew that. Without their king's knowledge they started to experiment on humans.   
  
Oh, right. I guess I should tell you about that one as well. You know all those people that we have thought were a bit crazy because they were talking about alien spaceships coming in the middle of the night and taking them away and doing experiments on them? Well, those aliens were Antarians doing research. But the researchers weren't bad guys. They actually put the humans back. What? Wasn't that nice enough? Well, they did have a planet to save. After acquiring enough information they found donors to provide genetic material to mix with the royals' essences. They were going to create hybrids. And get this. They were going to look exactly like humans, so that they could grow up among humans. Hiding in plain sight, right? Well, that was the plan…   
  
So, the royal four - as they were now called - were sent to Earth in their new forms, growing in pods. There were actually eight pods....hmmm.... Well, that was the safety plan. One set was made to look exactly like the original one, but it was made more alien on the inside. They were hidden away in New York, in the United States, on Earth. The other part stayed in Roswell. Oh, I forgot to tell you about that one. I pretty much suck at telling stories... Have you ever heard of an alien crash in Roswell, New Mexico? There was supposedly a crash in 1947 that was covered up by the military. They claimed it to be a weather balloon that fell. Yeah right! Guess what?! It was our aliens arriving. Something went wrong on the craft, and they hit ground with tragic repercussions. Several of the passengers were killed at impact, but some survived and were able to hide the pods. Now, they sent one set to New York, as I blurted out earlier, and the other one was hidden in a cave in Roswell.   
  
Are you still with me? Remember that thing Zan was searching for? That he felt that he was missing? He found it. One regular day in 1991 he stepped off a yellow school bus - in his nine-year-old body - and saw her. Now we are coming to the princess part of the story. Where the prince falls head over heels in love with the princess. Okay, there actually weren't any princesses or princes any longer. They were just normal school kids. Zan didn't remember anything from the life he had lived on another planet. His name was now Max. Max Evans. And the greatest joy of his life was to sit in a restaurant and watch a dark-haired waitress in Star-Trek uniform all day long. Her name was Liz. Liz Parker. The girl he had loved ever since he first saw her that day. So...did Max get his Liz? Let me just say that there was some complications. Some very _big_ complications. But this story is far from over yet...

TBC…


	38. Book 2 Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**   
  
  
*We have received news that Zan is back on Antar.*   
*What?!* Aldonis exclaimed. *I thought Zan was dead.*   
*Zan isn't dead. He's been hiding on planet Earth ever since the assault on the Royal Family.*   
*Then why haven't we been informed? Why is it that we haven't heard anything of this until now? We have heard nothing of his arrival until now.*   
*It has all been kept very secret. Hardly anyone knew of these plans, but we have received word that Khivar is aware of them.*   
*How is this even possible? Zan died. I saw it with my own eyes. The energy strike hit him straight in the stomach, and almost ripped him apart. There is no possibility that he can be alive.*   
*There were some researchers working in secret on a highly advanced and elaborated plan to save our planet from destruction by taking care of his essence.*   
*His essence?*   
*Well, I don't completely understand it myself, but basically Zan's essence; his soul, what defined him, was mixed with Earthling DNA and he was recreated into a human being.*   
*So Zan has lived on Earth all these years? Why hasn't he returned earlier? People have been dying here. People are still dying!*   
  
*I don't know what has kept him away for so long. The original plan was to have him hide on Earth until he had reached maturity and had trained his powers and then return to free us from the horrors of Khivar. But I guess something went wrong.*   
*Where is he?*   
*We are trying to locate him as we speak, but he seems to be hiding carefully. We don't think he's alone.*   
*Who's with him. Other loyalists?*   
*No, it is under my belief that Rath, Ava and Vilandra were also recreated.*   
*You mean that the whole Royal squad has been recreated and are on this planet right now?*   
He received a nod as reply.   
*Then it is of great importance that we find him as soon as possible and prepare our men for action. This can be what we have all been waiting for, for years.*   
*There is still hope.*   
  
------------------------------------------------------------   
  
*Hi honey,* he greeted her as she walked through the old wooden door. The house was small and plain, but they wouldn't want it any other way. There were several reasons it served them to keep it that way. It was a way for them to hide out in plain sight. They blended in with the poor people, and there were no suspicions raised against them. They were both involved in the Loyalist movement. They were both being trained to be able to stand up to the soldiers of the king, to break through the monarchy and bring peace to a starving planet.   
She placed a lingering kiss on his lips and smiled tiredly.   
*Are you okay?* he asked, concern etching his face.   
  
She sighed as she sat down across from him. *You will never believe what happened to me today.*   
His curiosity was peaked. *What?*   
*I was summoned to the palace..*   
*The palace? Why?* He was suddenly worried about her. What did the men in the Palace want from her?   
*They wanted me to take on this...uhm...case.*   
*You're working for the Palace?* he asked.   
She gave him a faint smile. *I guess I am.*   
He rose quickly, frustration oozing off him. *I can't let you work there!* he said forcefully, his fists clenching at his sides.   
  
Watching him with worry, she answered *I have to."   
She knew that he was worried about her, and she knew that she was putting her life at stake just by putting one foot inside the palace.   
  
He turned around, fire blazing in his eyes. He was angry. It was that familiar anger that so easily could put its claws in him. He wasn't angry with her. It was the whole situation. The way they were living. She was the only bright light in his life, and he wasn't going to just passively watch as they pulled her away from him. Because if she were working at the Palace, it wouldn't take long until they found out where her loyalties lay. And it was no secret that Khivar didn't think highly of people who sympathized with his enemies. He had shown this many times to the people. He had burnt down whole villages at night; whole families burning to death as the smoke prevented them from waking up and escaping. Only to prove his point of what it meant to stand up to him.   
  
His voice softening somewhat as he saw the sad look in her eyes, he said *I don't want you in there.*   
*I know...but I can't let this mission go,* she said slowly, wanting him to understand. Needing him to understand. She needed to have him on her side in this. She wasn't prepared to not have his support, but she wasn't prepared to give up on what she had been assigned to do at the Palace either.   
*Why?* he asked her, wondering what could be so important to her to risk her life for.   
  
*The case concerns a little girl....a human girl...from the planet Earth.*   
She was surprised by his reaction. She had expected him to look at her in disbelief and start to question her sanity, but there was only interest in his eyes. Almost excited curiosity...but also fear.   
*From Earth?* he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.   
*Yes,* she answered, trying to figure out his reaction.   
*Why would there be a girl here from Earth?* he asked her. *And why is she at the Palace?*   
*That's what I want to find out,* she said. *I just took an intensive course this morning to acquire her language to be able to communicate with her.*   
*You've met her?* he asked, his voice raising in intensity.   
*Yes...she looks just like an Antarian,* she answered.   
*How old is she?*   
She shrugged her shoulders. *I'm not sure... maybe two moontravels.*   
He looked surprised. *She's that small?!*   
She thought about it some more and then nodded. *Yes, if the aging process isn't different on Earth I'm certain she must be of that age... What's going on, Aldonis?*   
  
He rubbed his forehead, his green eyes momentarily lighting up as he came to kneel in front of her. He took her hands in his and looked her into her eyes.   
*Serena, we have strong evidence to believe that Zan is here on Antar.*   
*What?! Zan? As in _Zan, the King_?* Serena was astonished. Was Zan alive?   
*Yes,* Aldonis answered, excitement in his eyes. *He's been on Earth all these years, preparing to help us.*   
*Are you serious?* she asked, her mind still trying to gasp the information.   
He nodded. *Don't you think it's a little suspicious that as rumors are going around that Zan has returned, a human girl turns up at the Palace?*   
*You don't think they are connected somehow?* Serena asked, thinking about the terrified little girl who had already captured her heart.   
*Nobody knows _why_ Zan decided to return now...and why he hadn't come any sooner. What if this little girl has something to do with his arrival. Why would the Palace be so interested in a human girl anyway? There must be something special about her.*   
Serena stared into her mate's eyes, as her thoughts were lingering on the girl with the amazing eyes. She had known deep in her heart already from the very first glance at her that she was special. Was she connected with the long lost King? And in that case...how?   
  
--------------------------------------------   
  
The translucent image of Liz's body started to disintegrate into the humid breeze.   
"Did it work?" Michael asked, startling Max.   
Max turned around and faced Michael.   
"Yeah," he answered before he brushed past Michael to get to Liz.   
"Where are you going?" Michael asked.   
"I need to check up on Liz," Max said over his shoulder.   
"But it worked, right?" Michael asked, trailing after Max to the tent Max and Liz shared.   
Max didn't answer as he disappeared inside the tent. Michael followed close by and found Max kneeling beside Liz's still figure on the ground. Michael was worried for a second that something had gone wrong, but then he saw Liz move under Max's hands.   
  
  
"Come back to me," Max said gently, unable to hide the hint of guilt and worry in his voice. His fingertips gently brushed against her forehead, where there was evident perspiration from the strain of the astral projection. He could feel that she was all right through the connection, but she was exhausted. She had tried too hard. She had pushed herself too hard. She needed to sleep, but she wasn't asleep right now. She was floating in some state between sleep and consciousness, and Max was afraid that some part of her was still left in the astral projection. He could see how she struggled to open her eyes, making her eyelids look very heavy. He was staring at her, longing to see those beautiful brown eyes of her that would tell him that she was okay.   
  
"Yes, honey. That's it," he coaxed, "You can do it. I'm right here."   
Her heavy eyelids slowly slipped away, and she looked up at him.   
Relief marked his features as he said, "That's good, Liz."   
He kissed her lightly on her forehead, before he trapped her eyes with his to stop her from sinking down into that semi-unconscious state again.   
"How are you feeling?" he asked.   
"Really tired," Liz said slowly, her words carrying a little slur due to the difficulty to form words in her exhausted state. Her eyelids blinked heavily, and she yawned.   
"Liz, I need you to concentrate on me," Max said.   
  
He was terrified that she would fall back into that comatose state. He needed her to fall asleep, but he was afraid that she needed his help to be able to do that. Her eyes rolled back in her head, before her eyelids fell back down. Max could feel her fall back from the connection, and he was surrounded with the feeling of how it had felt before, when their connection was blocked. He quickly tucked his hand under her head and lifted it up, shaking her by the shoulder with his other hand while he simultaneously tried to keep the connection from slipping away in his mind.   
"Liz! Liz! Look at me!!"   
Michael moved inside the tent and hunched over Liz's form on the bed. Max gave a start as Michael clapped his hands hardly together above Liz's face. The sound jerked Max out of his concentration and he looked angrily at Michael.   
"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.   
"I was waking her up," Michael answered matter-of-factly, and pointed at Liz. Max turned his head back to Liz and found her looking at him again. Max firmly gathered his concentration. He wasn't going to let her slip away from him again.   
  
"Look into my eyes, Liz, and let your mind go blank," Max said slowly, careful that she heard his every word and understood what he was saying. She moved her head slightly, indicating that she had heard him. But she was just so tired. Max didn't waste any time, and soon he was deeply connected to her. He was deeply agitated as he found the disrupted and torn state of her mind. She had pushed herself far too hard, and she didn't know how to come back from the use of powers. She didn't know how to turn it off - and now her mind was dispersed, some of it disappeared in the connection to Max, where her mind had linked with his. Some of her mind was still inside of Max's, and that was wrong. He focused on pulling her mind together, of molding the parts together. As he pulled out of her again they both gasped at the loss of contact. But as Max looked into her eyes again he found the presence and consciousness in her eyes that he had missed earlier.   
"Now, get back to sleep," he urged her gently. She yawned again as her eyelids fell down. She was asleep even before she had finished the yawn. Max leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before he pushed himself to his feet and signaled for Michael to go outside.   
  
"What was that, Maxwell?" Michael asked as they walked away from the tent.   
"She pushed herself too hard," Max answered, "She was in the astral projection for too long and she couldn't pull her mind back together."   
Michael looked at Max sternly. "She can't push herself that hard."   
"No, she can't. But don't say anything about it to her," Max ordered Michael. He didn't want Michael scolding Liz for something that she hardly had any control over. Not yet.   
Michael stared at him. Didn't Max know that Liz would kill herself if she kept doing this?   
"I'm going to talk to her," Max said, "But I'm guessing that she already knows that she went too far. She doesn't need a lecture."   
"Fine," Michael huffed. They walked in silence up to a little area further away where there were a lot of stones piled up. This was their 'training area'. Under comfortable wordless communication they started to practice their powers, molding their movements together into a gradually improved complete fighting unit.   
  
-------------------------------------------------   
  
Max tried his best to be quiet as he walked into the tent. It was now growing dark outside, and he was exhausted. He had been practicing his powers the whole day, and he barely had enough energy to do simple things, like heat a cup of water. Liz was lying on the bed, her body still recuperating from the astral projection that could have had disastrous ramifications. He pulled off his shirt and kneeled over the bowl of manipulated water in the corner of the tent to wash his face. Next he made his way over to Liz. He pulled the blanket away and crawled down beside her. She immediately shifted position as she felt him beside her, and curled up against his side. Max put his arm around her and pulled her close, planting a kiss at the crown of her head, relishing in the scent of her hair.   
"Are you okay?"   
He was surprised to hear her soft voice. He was obviously a lot more tired than he thought, having missed to feel her waking up through the connection. "Yeah, I'm just tired. How are you feeling?"   
"Better, but still tired," she murmured, her warm breath brushing against his bare chest. She had positioned herself with her head on his shoulder and her fingers were now idly moving over his chest, drawing invisible unintelligible figures.   
  
"I'm sorry about earlier," she said. "I guess I wanted too much."   
"You aren't ready for that much yet," he said softly, capturing her moving hand with his and lacing their fingers together. They lay there in silence for a while, almost too tired to fall asleep.   
"I want her here too." His voice was barely above a whisper. He could feel her sadness through the connection. "But you can't help her if you wear yourself out."   
"I could say the same thing to you," Liz whispered, and Max could hear the weak smile in her voice. She was right. Again. He had pushed himself a little too hard today as well. They both wanted their little girl back, and they were both willing to do whatever it took to make that a reality. Nevertheless, they had learnt today that they should probably slow down some. Wearing themselves out to the brink of unconsciousness was not the solution.

TBC…


	39. Book 2 Chapter 6

Even though it is a little late, Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and that you haven't drown in all the Christmas stress, but just relaxed. 

Thank you for the feedback!! I feel so privileged to have you as my readers!!

Since there's quite a number of chapters to this story now, and a lot has happened, I thought I should just post some kind of summary of what has happened.

So, let's review, shall we?   
  


  
_This is what has happened so far. As a consequence of Future Max arriving in Liz's bedroom one night, Liz sets out to try to have Max fall out of love with her. Even though Max's trust in Liz and what they once shared was badly wounded when he had to witness Liz in bed with Kyle, Max continues to watch over Liz. Liz is suffering from nightmares, and she's almost always suffering from excruitiating headaches. Being Liz, she's trying to put up a facade that everything is okay. But Max isn't fooled. He tries to convince her to connect with him. She's afraid to let him do it because of what he might find out about Future Max, and thereby everything she has worked for - all the hurt she has been going through - would be for nothing.   
  
However, as we all know, the bond between Liz and Max is powerful, and it doesn't take long for them to get together again. Liz realizes that she feels better in Max's company. It's as if the headaches which are constantly plaguing her vanish whenever he's near. But then something goes very wrong.   
  
Nasedo and Tess are working on finding a way home, and at the same time make their allies happy. These two conditions both involve the Granolith, which they need Max in order to activate. But to have Max activate it, he has to be willing to let go of his Earthly life, and he is not ready to ever let go off Liz. So Nasedo and Tess tries mindwarps to damage the bond between Max and Liz. They are unsuccessful. Hence, another plan takes form. Nasedo shapeshifts into Max, and plans on raping Liz while impersonating Max. Liz would never forgive Max for something like that. They didn't count on the strong connection between Max and Liz though, and Liz has somehow been reliving the moments up to the rape in her nightmares, so she's more or less prepared. But something goes wrong, and Nasedo hurts Liz so badly she almost dies.   
  
Tess mindwarps Max, Michael and Isabel that they are seeing the dead form of Liz, while Liz is really held prisoner, unconscious, in a motel room with Nasedo. Everyone believes that Liz is dead, and so does even Max. Liz escapes from Nasedo and Tess, and starts a whole new life in Santa Fe. She suffers from amnesia; she can't even remember her own name. And she finds herself pregnant with a child, without having a clue to who the father is. Four years pass, and eventually Max meet up with his daughter - Emma, which leads him into finding Liz again. Her memories start to come back to her. But she's sick. Really sick, and she isn't getting better even though Max tries healing her.   
  
During Liz's absence a new protector has showed up - Kira. He is the real protector to the four squad. Nasedo was an imposter. By compiling facts about what has happened, and what Kira knows about his race, they reach the conclusion that Liz is sick because she's (involuntary) blocking her connection to Max.   
  
Okay, is it all starting to come back to you? __I'll go on either way... lol   
  
They are concerned about their safety. Kira has men all around the US, and they are reporting that their enemies are preparing for something. When she was unaware of her identity, Liz received a strange phone call, the person asking things about her daughter. Since someone are after them, Max, Liz and Emma goes into hiding - at a warehouse. During their short stay there, Max and Liz make love and the connection flare to life between them again. Liz's body slowly starts to heal itself. But then one night, Emma is taken from them, and they find out that she has been taken by Nicolas, to Antar.   
  
So, we leave for Antar. Phew...this "summary" is getting long __.. Not too much has happened yet on Antar. We have learnt of a person named Serena, who has been assigned to work with a mysterious human child held at the palace (Emma). Her mate, Aldonis, is the leader of the group loyal to Zan (or Max). Both Serena and Aldonis are part of this secret organization to free the planet from the ruling of Khivar. Liz is trying to connect to her daughter through the connection they share, but she can't get through. The connection is blocked. Michael and Isabel are also on Antar, and Alex and Maria are left behind on Earth. The hybrids are living in a small camp together with Kira and some of his men, trying to organize how to free Emma, and get them back to Earth.   
  
Oh, and not to forget! Tess is nowhere in sight, because she melted - at the hands of the people she worked for...   
  
And then there are some slight problems. For instance, they are on a foreign planet, without any knowledge about the language or the people. Max feels helpless because he can't make any decision without knowledge, leaving him at the mercy of Kira, who he is almost forced to trust completely in. He has no other choice. Then we have Isabel and Michael. While Liz and Max have each other, they are alone, and they are starting to realize how much the humans they were close to (Maria and Alex) mean to them. On top of all this, there is a development of Liz's powers, that Max healing somehow brought forward. The problem is that she can't control her powers, and the one and only premonition she had (before going to Antar) almost left her dead..._   
  
So, there are still many things to be dealt with....   
  
  
  
**Chapter 6**   
  
  
_The air felt heavy and fluid. It stuck to his clothes, to his bare arms, to his face. He twirled around, laughter echoing around him. His heart was slamming in his chest so hard it felt as if it wanted to get out. But it was trapped inside of him, just like his mind was trapped in the confines of this body.   
"**Daddy!!"**   
He turned around, his eyes fervently searching for her, but he was still alone. The laughter around him grew in intensity and there were whispers growing louder and louder. He put his hands to his ears, the sharp sound of the loud whispers slicing his hearing.   
"No!! **Noo****!!**" Suddenly the laughter was close, behind him. He turned around and tumbled backwards as he looked into a pair of coal black eyes.   
"Where's Emma?!" he asked the man.   
The man just laughed at him. Max took a hold of the collar of the man's shirt. "**Where is Emma?!!"** The man stopped laughing and stared at him.   
"She's dead."_   
  
  
Liz woke up to the sound of his agonizing whimper. She opened her eyes, and found him lying on his side, his back facing her.   
"Max..." she said.   
She could hear him mumbling, his legs restlessly moving around under the covers.   
"Max!" This time more forcefully.   
"Noooooo!!"   
His agonizing cry made a part of her heart go numb, and she quickly put her arms around him, pressing his back into her chest.   
"Max!" she said loudly in his ear. "Max! Wake up!"   
She heard him take a deep breath and then he relaxed his tense body against her. His erratic breathing evened out and Liz closed her eyes against his shoulder, warm tears running down her cheeks. 

---------------------------------

  
  
Serena pushed the door open to the small windowless room. The little girl was sitting by the small table, crayons spread out on the table surface. She looked up with fear in her eyes as the door opened, but when she saw who it was some of the fear disappeared and was replaced with curiosity. Serena felt the girl's eyes on her as she turned around to close the door.   
"Hi Emma," Serena greeted.   
The little girl gave her a faint smile and without a word she returned her attention to the drawing in front of her.   
"What are you doing?" Serena asked.   
"Painting," Emma said.   
  
"What are you painting" Serena asked, cautiously moving closer to Emma. She was still afraid that she would scare the little girl. She came up beside Emma and peeked down at her paper. It was the work of a child to be sure, but it was not difficult to see what it was supposed to be.   
"Is that you?" Serena asked, and pointed at the short figure Emma had painted. Emma nodded. The figure consisted of a round head with black long hair and a round body with arms. Emma had actually not painted any legs, only the feet, which she had put directly on the body. The figure made the corners of Serena's mouth to move upwards. It looked really cute. But her smile grew faint as she saw the two larger figures standing at the little figure's side.   
  
"Who is that?" she asked Emma, although she could already guess the answer.   
"That's mommy," Emma explained, pointing to the figure who looked like a copy of the little figure, only bigger, "and that's daddy." She pointed on the figure standing by the little figure. She had drawn her family.   
"You don't have any siblings?" Serena asked.   
Emma shook her head. "No. Only me, mommy and daddy."   
Serena kneeled down beside the table and searched out Emma's eyes from under her bangs when Emma ducked her head.   
"You like your mommy and daddy very much, huh?" she asked.   
  
Emma nodded her head. There was so much Serena wanted to ask her about her parents. But she wasn't sure Emma even knew the answers to those questions. Serena wanted to have the information that could confirm what she and Aldonis had been discussing the other night. That Emma was somehow related to Zan. The most logical relation being that Emma was his child. If she was, then Serena was afraid for the little girl's safety. She was the heir to the throne in case of Zan's death, and Khivar certainly didn't want an heir to the throne.   
  
The only reason Serena could think of that Emma would be of any greater importance to Khivar was that he would train her into becoming the ruler he wanted to replace him. Khivar wasn't married, and he didn't have any children of his own. There were, however, rumors going around that there were many bastard children out there, children brought into the world through rape. Their mothers were often concubines or servants to Khivar who he had come upon during his fits of anger and subjected them to his physical urges. It would be in Khivar's interest to raise an heir that would continue to rule Antar as he had.   
  
Serena searched the girl's innocent face and wondered if she was really a princess. But she was human. Did that mean that she didn't have any powers? Everyone on Antar is born with the _capacity_ to develop powers, but without training that potential often sank into oblivion. On Antar only royalty and men of command had powers. Serena had powers, but only because she had been trained through the Loyalists. If this little girl was half human, or even more than half human because Zan was mostly human, did she know how to bring forward those powers that ordinary people on Antar had such difficulties to access and utilize without training? The Levitars hadn't said anything about Emma having any powers, but on the other hand they had given her almost no information on anything. Should she just ask Emma or should she wait? She watched Emma for a while as she added black color to the hair on the figure portraying her mother.   
  
"Your mommy is beautiful, isn't she?" Serena asked.   
"She's pwetty," Emma said. "She lubs me."   
Serena concentrated on translating what Emma's child language meant.   
"Daddy lubs me too," Emma continued. Loves...that what she meant. Love. Love was a rare concept on Antar. For ages it had been judged to accompany one of those strong feelings that needed to be restrained in order to enhance and develop one's capabilities to the fullest. Love was never discussed. Even though it was a difficult emotion to actually retain, that didn't mean it wasn't present. However, Antarian children were never told about love. They were instead taught about loyalty. You were loyal to your parents, but you didn't love them. As she watched the dark-haired little girl, her heart once again went out to her. She had obviously been taken from a loving family. Serena hoped with all her might that Emma's mother _wasn't_ dead as the Levitars had told her.   
  
"When was the last time you saw your mommy?" Serena asked. To her surprise, Emma's eyes lit up, excited about the memory.   
"Mommy was putting me in bed," she said. "And daddy too. And she told me that I was special."   
"You were special?" Serena asked.   
Emma nodded enthusiastic.   
"How were you special, Emma?"   
Emma opened her mouth to answer, but then she stopped herself. Serena could literally see the excitement disappearing from her eye, like a lamp had just been switched off. Emma liked the woman who was kneeling there on the floor beside her. She was the nicest one of all the people that had come into this room, but she couldn't tell her why she was special. It was her secret. And those other people – like that mean man - had known about her secret and he had hurt that puppy. She didn't want that to happen again. She didn't want the woman to know her secret.   
"Emma?"   
  
Emma looked down at her paper in front of her and put her drawing away, only to reveal a new white piece of paper underneath. She took a blue crayon and started to draw. She didn't want to answer any more questions. She just wanted to draw. It was fun to draw. She could draw everything she remembered. In the world of her drawings and her imagination, she could do _whatever_ she wanted. She could be _wherever_ she wanted, and she could be with _whoever_ she wanted.   
Serena observed Emma closely. Emma was obviously reluctant to answer her questions. She decided to let it go for now. Hopefully Emma would trust her enough to tell her later. 

----------------------------------------------

  
  
"Michael! Michael!"   
Michael jerked his head towards Max, and snapped, "What?!"   
"What the hell are you doing?!" Max strode up to him and, looking past Michael, saw a fire feasting on the dry shrubs and trees. The thick smoke filled the air and blended with the sparking sound of fibrous twigs breaking and turning into ashes.   
"What does it look like I'm doing?! What you told me to!!"   
Max stared at him, balling his fists in anger. "I didn't tell you to blow up the entire site. Don't you realize that by doing that you are sending out a beacon to everyone to just come and find us!"   
Max stretched out his hand in front of him and, with a subdued whizzing sound, the oxygen to the fire was cut off, which put an end to the blazing conflagration.   
"You just want us to practice on blowing up small stones, Maxwell!! How do you think that we are going to be able to protect ourselves from our enemies if we haven't been taught to use more energy?!!"   
  
"I didn't say _small stones_," Max said, "I said not to do anything too conspicuous! And then you almost set an entire forest on fire! I'm sorry if I don't agree with your idea of being conspicuous!"   
"Don't you fuck with me," Michael said coldly.   
Max furrowed his eyebrows in anger. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"   
"Nothing, oh fearless leader," Michael sarcastically replied and walked off without another word, leaving Max staring at his back. The anger was simmering down and was replaced with frustration over this whole situation. 

---------------------------------

  
  
The water on Antar was probably one of the things that Liz had the most trouble getting used to. It was thicker than Earth water, and you couldn't drink it. Sometimes Liz would have this indescribable longing for water. Just to feel its cool and refreshing texture on her tongue and feel it running down her throat. Water was something you took for granted if you had access to it everyday. Liz had acquired a new understanding for people living in countries were fresh, and especially, clean water was scarce. She still had not figured out what the people did on Antar to keep clean, because this water wasn't really something you could wash yourself with.   
  
Max manipulated the structure of Antarian water, trying to make it similar to Earth water. Trying to take away its gelatin structure and make it thinner, but it was difficult. They had constructed a substitute for a bathtub out of some kind of metal. Max would help Liz carry the water to the tub and fill it up. Then he would change the molecular structure of the water molecules - rearranging the covalent bonding - and lastly, he would heat the water to a comfortable temperature. The whole process was pretty tiring for Max, and Liz's baths became increasingly rare because she didn't want to wear Max out.   
  
Nevertheless, Liz felt greatly in a need of a bath today. Actually, she would much rather have a warm shower at home on Earth, but the greenish water was the next best thing and she would take it. Max was off to practice his powers somewhere and it was getting late. The three moons in the green sky were slowly becoming more and more evident as the green turned darker and the red sun descended. Liz had to carefully focus her vision to be able to see in the growing darkness as she made her way from the river to the little tent that served as the 'bathroom'. Some of Kira's men were nearby. One of them was walking behind her with two buckets of the heavy water. They had been intruding on her personal space the entire day and it was beginning to get to her, even if it was because Max had ordered them not to let her out of their sight for an instant. She was irritated, and it felt as if all of her nerves were on the outside of her body. It was only a matter of time before she snapped. She walked into the tent and poured the sluggish liquid into the tub. The other man stepped up behind her and poured the contents of his two buckets in the tub as well.   
  
"Can you please change the structure of the water?" Liz asked him. The man looked at her confused.   
"What do you mean, my lady?" he asked.   
Liz let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn't just that he was calling her 'my lady', which made her feel twice her age, but since her level of patience wasn't very high at the moment, it annoyed her greatly that he couldn't understand that simple request.   
"Make it into the same structure as Earth water," she clarified tightly.   
"Yes, my lady," the man answered, and put his hand down in the water. His palm started to glow and then the area surrounding his palm became more translucent. The area grew larger and larger and soon the water had a texture more similar to Earth water. Liz dipped her hand into the water to feel its structure.   
  
"It's cold," she said. "Could you please heat it?"   
"Yes, my lady," the man answered flatly and Liz had to stop herself from strangling him. God! Couldn't they stop with this 'my lady' crap already?! She had begged them a thousand times (just today) that she wanted them to call her Liz and nothing else. But she had to give up since they obviously couldn't understand that simple request. The man removed his hand from the tub and Liz put her hand down in it, only to quickly pull it up again with a squeal.   
  
"It's too hot!" she cried. Aliens weren't as sensitive to hot and cold as humans were. Max's body was basically human. However, he often wasn't as susceptible to cold as Liz was.   
"Sorry, my lady," the man mumbled, feeling the negative energy coming off of Liz in waves. He really didn't want to upset her. If he upset her, than he was sure he had to deal with Zan...and he _really_ didn't feel up to that.   
"Problems?"   
Speak of the devil... The man turned his head towards the opening of the tent and saw his leader standing there with a grin on his face.   
  
"Max! Could you _please_ heat this water to a _normal_ temperature?" Liz asked, glaring at the man. The man eased away, hoping that he hadn't upset the king. The man didn't know _this_ king though. The man had known Zan, not Max. If he had known Max, he would have known that Max wouldn't punish anyone for something as trivial as this.   
"Could you leave the two of us alone please?" Max politely asked the man while stepping into the tent.   
"Of course, your Highness," the man said, bowing his head slightly in respect before he hastily scurried out of the tent. Max only shook his head in amusement. That poor man looked really frightened.   
  
"How did you manage to scare him like that?" Max asked Liz, stepping closer to her. He had been feeling her increasing annoyance through the connection the entire day and so he had hurried home. He knew that she was near her breaking point.   
"It's about damn time you showed up!" Liz said and pointed toward the tub. "I really need a bath. Where have you been?!"   
"Sorry, Liz. I guess the practice took a little longer than expected," Max apologized.   
"No kidding," Liz said under her breath, pretending to be interested in the tub. She needed to calm down. Max looked at her, feeling her inner turmoil. Without taking his eyes of her he put his hand in the scalding water and lowered the water temperature.   
"Better?" he asked Liz. Without looking at him, Liz put her hand in the tub.   
"Much better," she answered. Max frowned as she pulled up her hand again. It was unnaturally red.   
"Liz, did you burn yourself?" he asked.   
"Well, the water was pretty hot. I wasn't expecting it, so I put in my whole hand. That stupid alien can't do anything right!!"   
"Let me see," Max said, stepping closer to Liz.   
Liz put her hand behind her back. "No, Max. It's nothing."   
  
Max searched her face while trying to figure out what was going on with her.   
"Just let me see," he said again. There was a pause as Liz juggled with her emotions. Then she sighed in resignation and stretched out her red hand to Max. Max tried to capture her eyes but she kept looking into the tub. He sighed and carefully took her hand.   
"Let me heal it," he said.   
Liz pulled her hand away. "No, Max. It's okay."   
Max stared at her. "Okay. What's wrong?"   
"Nothing," Liz answered. "Now can you please go outside? I need to take a bath."   
"It's because of me, right?" Max stated. Liz looked up at him. "You don't want me to use my energy so much." He could feel from their connection that he had made the right conclusion.   
  
"Liz, it's only a burn. It's not a problem for me to heal."   
"Yes, Max. It's only a burn. I can live with it," Liz said and turned away from him, starting to unbutton her shirt. Max looked at her back, knowing that she was making this his cue to leave. But there was something else to this. He knew it. He stepped up behind her and put his arms around her waist. His hands captured hers, stilling her movements.   
"Liz. Tell me."   
There was a pause.   
"I don't want you having any nightmares," Liz said. Max leaned his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer against him.   
  
"Honey, I don't have any nightmares," Max said, and he actually thought he was telling her the truth.   
"Yes, you do," Liz said, and Max could hear the tremble in her voice. "Every time you come back from training and you're exhausted you have these nightmares. You toss around...you're so scared, Max."   
Max just stood there completely paralyzed. He wasn't even aware of the fact that he had any nightmares.   
"It hurts me so much to see you like that...and you don't even remember it. It's so terrible that your mind represses it."   
"Liz..." Max said, his breath catching in his throat.   
"When you don't wear yourself out, you don't sleep as deeply, and you don't have any nightmares. I don't want you to use anymore of your energy."   
Her voice was trembling from emotion, but her statement was firm and adamant.   
"Please Liz. Let me heal you."   
"Max, I can handle it."   
  
He couldn't bear seeing her hurt. But he also knew that she couldn't bear seeing him hurt either. He took a deep breath and planted a soft kiss at the crook of her neck.   
"Okay," he said, releasing his grip on her. He could feel her relax through their connection, but under the feelings of relief he could also feel a hint of the pain the burn was causing her. He moved his hands to her tense shoulders, starting to rub them. A small moan of pleasure escaped her lips as he applied some healing warmth to her sore neck. She tilted her head slightly forward, giving him a better access to her shoulders. He started to rain light but lingering kisses over her neck, his hands moving under the fabric of her shirt.   
  
"Can I join you?" Max asked huskily, his warm breath floating behind her ear. Liz tilted her head to the side, coaxing him into continuing his healing touches with his lips and hands.   
"Mmmm, I think I'm in a desperate need of a full body massage," she breathed, already losing herself in him.   
"Yes, I agree. You need to relax," Max said, his hands moving lightly down her arms, barely touching her. She could feel the heat of his fingers even through the fabric. His hands changed direction, wrapping around her again and coming to a stop on top of her hands, which had stilled in their task of unbuttoning her shirt as Max's otherworldly massage began. He slowly removed her hands from the buttons, his mouth tasting the soft skin of her neck, and began the task of unbuttoning her shirt himself.   
"Relaxation is not exactly what I had in mind," Liz said.

TBC…


	40. Book 2 Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**   
  
  
_Roswell__, New Mexico, Earth_   
  
  
"We don't have to do this, Nancy," Jeff said to his wife.   
"No, it's okay. I think I _need_ to do this," Nancy answered, taking a deep breath as she opened the door to her daughter's room. "It's been five years, Jeff. I need some kind of closure."   
"We can always do it later," Jeff said, feeling that he himself wasn't so sure about this.   
"I think this is the right thing to do," Nancy said. "We have to realize that she's...gone." Her voice hitched in her throat as a sob broke up to the surface at the memory of her daughter's fate. Raped and then killed, and only seventeen years old. She had to take a deep breath to control the emotions that swirled up to the surface as her husband put his hands on her shoulders in an act of consolation. She had to stay strong. They had to do this. They would feel better after they've done it.   
"Meg and Stan will be here in a week, and the room has to be ready by then."   
"We can always let them sleep in our bedroom, and we can take the extra mattresses. Or they can stay at the motel like they suggested."   
Nancy turned around and looked her husband firmly in the eyes. Her eyes were shimmering with the moisture of unshed tears, but her face was determined. Jeff knew that expression far too well. His daughter used to have that expression too. Her wife had reached her decision, and that was final. His only child's room, after being a sacred, almost untouched haven since her death, was to be transformed into a guest room. The decision left them with great emptiness, hurt and sorrow in their hearts, but they knew that they had to do it. It was time to accept the truth. Their daughter wasn't coming back. They needed to let go of the past. 

-------------------------------------------------------

  
  
_Antar_   
  
  
"Max, I need to talk to you," Kira said, walking into the tent.   
Max turned around, his fingers still entwined with Liz's.   
"Oh... Excuse me. Did I interrupt something?" Kira asked, eyeing how Max slowly disentangling his fingers from Liz's.   
"No, we were just trying something," Max answered evasively.   
Kira caught Liz's expression momentarily before she turned her face away. She was crying.   
"I'll be right with you," Max said, reaching his hand out behind him, grabbing Liz by the hand again.   
Kira nodded, and left without a word.   
  
Max turned around, pulling Liz into a tight embrace. "It's okay, love," he whispered to her. "We'll try later, okay? It was only our first attempt, and we were interrupted as well."   
He could feel her nod against his shoulder, her tears wetting his shirt.   
"I can talk to Kira later," Max said.   
"No," she whispered, feeling her voice would quiver. "You should go. I'll be fine...maybe Kira has some news."   
Max pulled away slightly from the embrace. Liz was keeping her unseeing eyes locked on a spot on Max's chest. Max put his two fingers under her chin and gently pushed her face up towards his. Her eyes were glittering from her tears and her bottom lip was trembling slightly as she tried to regain her composure. Max tenderly brushed away some of the tears lingering on her cheeks with his thumbs.   
"I'll be right back," he promised softly.   
She swallowed, a sob hitching in her throat, and nodded. The expression in his eyes gave her the reassurance, comfort and strength she needed. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.   
"I love you," he whispered.   
A sob escaped her lips and she nodded again.   
He gave her a tender smile and then he was gone. 

-----------------------------------------

  
  
"What is it?" Max asked as he entered the bigger tent. Kira turned around at the sound of his voice.   
"We have acquired some new information."   
"What kind of information?" Max asked, caution in his voice. He stepped further into the room.   
  
Kira took a deep breath. "On Antar, there's a whole network of Antarians who are loyal to Zan. They call themselves Loyalists. Their parents were loyal followers of King Zosima - Zan's father...your father. During their lifetime King Zosima was assassinated, and young Zan was placed on the throne. The followers to king Zosima almost automatically decided to be loyal to the new king as well, and their children grew up with the same belief...even though King Zan was assassinated merely three Earthly months after his coronation. Those children are now adults, and they are more or less active in a secret underground community to re-establish peace on the planet and remove Khivar from the throne."   
"Okay," Max said slowly, somewhat overwhelmed by all the instant information, "Do they know that we were sent to Earth?"   
  
"According to the recent information given, rumors have been spread, and they know that you are alive. There are even some rumors about the possibility that you are actually here on Antar."   
"If _they_ know about it, then our enemies and Khivar know too," Max said slowly.   
"Yes, unfortunately so." 

-----------------------------------------

  
  
"Hey."   
Startled by the soft voice, Isabel turned her head towards the opening of her small tent and saw Liz standing there.   
She forced herself to smile. "Oh, hi Liz."   
"Are you okay?" Liz asked.   
"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Isabel asked sarcastically, re-focusing her eyes on her hands. The mattress sank down as Liz moved to sit down in front of Isabel, folding her legs into Indian style.   
"We haven't talked much recently," Liz said slowly.   
Isabel sighed. "Why are you here, Liz? Did my brother send you?"   
"No, Isabel. I have a mind of my own, you know."   
"Really, well sometimes it doesn't seem that way."   
Silence lowered itself over them, like a thick suffocating blanket, and for the first time since Liz had sat down in front of her, Isabel moved her eyes to look at the person her brother would sacrifice everything for. She expected to see hurt in Liz's eyes, but she only saw compassion. And it aggravated her even more.   
  
"What's wrong, Isabel?" Liz placed her hand over one of Isabel's. Isabel immediately shrugged it off and raked her hands through her hair with a frustrated sigh.   
"Liz, I'm not Maria! I don't need your reassurance, or comforting words!!"   
"Isabel, I'm just trying to help!"   
"Well, I don't feel like talking! Okay?!"   
"I know that you miss Earth, and everyone there."   
Isabel closed her eyes at Liz's words, swallowing deeply.   
"I know you miss your parents, and Alex…"   
Tears started to fall from Isabel's closed eyelids.   
"Isabel, I want you to know that I'm here if you ever want to talk...about anything. Girl power, you know?"   
Isabel gave her a sobbing chuckle. Liz smiled compassionately. "Okay?"   
Isabel nodded, tasting the salty tears running down in the corners of her mouth.   
Liz put her arms around Isabel and pulled her towards her. "Come here."   
Isabel held her tightly, sobbing against her shoulder. "I'm so...sorry Liz. I didn't mean to blu...blubber all over...you."   
"It's okay," Liz whispered, "Blubber away." 

--------------------------------------------

  
  
Max closed his eyes with a sigh, rubbing his forehead. By now, Kira recognized the action. Max always did it when something was deeply troubling him.   
"Why haven't you told us about this before?" Max asked, his voice a little sharper. They could've saved so much time if Kira had just told them about this before. Who knew what had happened to Emma while she had been waiting for them to rescue her?   
"We weren't sure if there were still Loyalists out there-"   
"I need to be informed about everything anyway," Max said, his voice increasing in intensity. How was he supposed to find Emma and protect Liz if he wasn't given all of the information?   
"I wasn't sure if I was to confuse you with more details-"   
  
"What?! I _need_ to know everything you know!! I need to have all of the information, otherwise I have no control here. I don't recognize this world and I don't remember this world! I don't understand the language. The information you can give me is all I have. And everything is important. Any piece of information might make the difference! We're lost without information."   
"Knowledge is power," a voice said calmly from the opening of the tent.   
They turned around to find Michael standing there.   
"What's going on?" he asked, stepping further into the tent as he was suspiciously eyeing Kira.   
"Good Michael. You're here. I couldn't find you earlier, and you should hear this too," Kira said. "Where's Isabel?"   
Michael shrugged his shoulders.   
"Do we have any contact at all with these...Loyalists?" Max asked.   
"Loyalists?" Michael asked.   
  
"Antarians loyal to Zan," Kira answered shortly, before turning to address Max's question. "We actually have gotten in contact with one of the Loyalists. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."   
"Wait. There are more Antarians out there who are on our side?" Michael asked.   
"Yes," Kira answered.   
Michael snorted. "Well, that's certainly good to know. It never crossed your mind to inform us of this minor detail a little sooner?"   
The sarcasm in his voice was sharply noticed by both Max and Kira. Kira was starting to realize that he certainly had made the wrong decision when deciding not to inform Max, Michael and Isabel about this. He met Max's adamant facial expression, demanding answers, and he sighed.   
"You should know that this...uhm…organization has extremely tight security. Just much security as there is at the royal palace. Loyalty to Zan is punishable with death, hence everyone involved are extremely careful about revealing their loyalty. In public they lead normal lives, and even though Khivar knows that there are rebels working against him, he has no faces or names to work with. And the Loyalist would like to keep it that way. The person who has contacted us is the leader of the Loyalists, and my men have confirmed his credibility to me. He is to be trusted. But thus far the attempts to contact us have not been reciprocated from our side and I have come to ask you what we should do, Max."   
  
"Arrange a meeting."   
The three aliens turned around to see Liz standing in the opening of the tent. Her eyes were tired, but her stance and expression spoke of strength. As on cue Michael and Kira turned their heads to look at Max.   
"Liz..."   
"Max, I think we should do this. What do we have to lose?"   
"Your life, maybe," Michael said sarcastically.   
"What about Emma's life?" Liz retorted.   
"We don't know if we can trust this person," Michael protested.   
"As I understand it, we know more than we'll ever know," Liz said, "And if there is some chance that there are people out there willing to help us, then I think we should take it."   
"What if he's a traitor, ready to turn you in when you show up at the meeting," Michael pointed out, "Then neither one of you can help Emma."   
A pained expression flashed over Liz's face.   
"Michael, shut up," Max said. "Liz's right."   
  
Michael sighed, throwing his hands in the air in frustrated resignation. "Of course. Liz is always right," he said with venom in his voice.   
Max turned to look at Michael. "What the hell's wrong with you?"   
"This isn't a stupid show off game, Maxwell! You can't just play your king card, shout orders around and expect everyone to just follow every little movement of your damn pinkie finger!! And now you're listening to Liz, who knows absolutely nothing about our world or our people-"   
"Michael. Stop it," Max said, a deadly warning to his voice.   
"I'm so sick of this, Max!! I have people here on this planet who want _me_ to be the king! I don't know why I'm sticking around here at all!"   
"What are you talking about?!"   
"I'm talking about me being fed up with sitting on my ass and just watching everything pass me by!! Everything's always about you and Liz! Maybe I didn't even want to go to this pla-"   
He stopped himself abruptly, his heart speaking before his mind.   
  
"Then leave, Michael," Max said. He really didn't need this. He had enough problems as it was.   
"No, Max," Liz said, stepping closer to the two testosterone-loaded males. "Michael. I'm grateful everyday that you decided to come with us. You're right; you didn't have to come here. But no one forced you either. It was your choice. You miss Maria, even if you would never admit it," she watched loneliness pass over Michael's features before they were quickly repressed back behind his stone wall exterior, "I do too. I miss Maria, and I miss my parents, who I haven't seen in almost seven years. I'm fortunate to have Max with me everyday. We are all hurting in one way or another. You can do as you like, Michael. No one controls you," she shot a pointed look in Max direction, who looked very confused by the underlying meaning of her look, "and you can do whatever you want. If you want to go home, I think that Kira can arrange something."   
  
There was a pause as Michael met Liz's eyes, reading the sincerity, gratitude and love in her eyes. He swallowed, feeling slightly guilty for his outburst.   
"No, I'm staying," he said.   
Liz smiled, and pulled him into a hug. Slowly, his arms went around her waist, returning her hug.   
"Thank you," she whispered in his ear. "Thank you for helping us."   
"No problem," Michael said gently, not knowing how to control his feelings. 

--------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"Damnit!" Nancy cried out in frustration as she stumbled over the bucket of soap and water standing on the floor. The bucket made some stumbling spins before it decided to stay upright and prevent a very wet accident.   
  
However, Nancy's attention wasn't on the bucket doing a little balance dance on the floor, but rather on a part of the tile wall that had connected with her elbow, stopping her fall, but sending jolts of pain through her whole arm as the sensitive nerves in her elbow were hit. The tile wall didn't have a smooth surface any longer as one of the tiles, the one Nancy's elbow had hit, had been pushed in, revealing its mobile state. Nancy slowly put her fingertips at the sides of the tile and started to pull it outward. With the tile out of the way, a black hole revealed itself to her.   
  
A hole in the wall.   
  
But her sudden surprise and the pounding of her heart in tight anticipation wasn't due to the fact that there was a small hiding place in the wall, it was due to the brown leather-bound book lying in it.   
  
Her hands were shaking as she reached inside the chilly hole and retrieved the book. Her movements were filled with trepidation as she slowly cleaned off a layer of dust from its surface. Her breathing had quickened. Even though the book lacked a title, she knew who the author was. She had seen that book on countless occasions when her daughter had been alive. It had been on her lounge chair out on her balcony, on her bed, or her desk.   
  
Nancy had never touched it of course, because it was a private book. She couldn't deny that she had been tempted several times to take a look in it. Tempted during moments when her daughter had been acting strangely. A memory of her daughter climbing through her bedroom window in the middle of the night flashed through her mind. That was when her daughter had also been caught skipping classes and making out with Max Evans. Her need to protect her daughter from the dirty minds of teenage boys and all other troubles she could get herself into made her itch to read that book, to find out if her suspicions were true. But she never had. And she had failed to protect her daughter.   
  
She slowly lowered herself to sit on the edge of the bed, her body feeling numb as her mind was going a hundred miles per hour. She took a deep breath and opened the cover, the only obstacle standing in the way of her and her daughter's private thoughts. The last thing she had left of the daughter she had felt she had really lost during the last year of her life. She almost dropped the book as her brain processed the first words.   
"JEFF!!!!" she yelled, her voice frantic, on the verge of hysterics. Written with black ink in her daughter's handwriting were eighteen words that made her world lurch on its axis and start moving in the wrong direction.   
  
_Journal Entry 1: I'm Liz Parker, and five days ago I died. __After that, things got really weird._

TBC...


	41. Book 2 Chapter 8

_Hi everyone! _

_Jeez, it's really been a long time since I updated last time. I'm sorry. My computer crashed – infected with 36 viruses ­– and I'm leaving for Australia in less than a month, so a lot of my attention has been on preparing for the trip. Just the packing… I can bring 20 kg (40 pounds) in packing – which is waaay too little for six months in my opinion. So, I'm trying to prioritize right now…_

_Anyway….__ I'm gonna give you three chapters today and then I'll try and update up to chapter 20 before I go away to Australia, because after that I don't know how the internet solution will be…_

_Thank you all so much for the feedback!!!! :-D_

_Have a fabulous day!_

_*hugs*_

_Josephin___

**Chapter 8**   
  
  
Maria nervously knocked on the door to the Parkers' residence. Why had they been so eager to meet with her? Why did she feel like things were about to change drastically - again? And why did she feel like she was about to reveal something that wasn't hers to tell?   
  
The door flew open and she was faced with a rather pale looking Jeff Parker. Maria had only seen him like this once before. On the day of Liz's funeral. Her first thought was that Liz was actually _dead_ this time, but before her mind got the chance to trigger a barrage of uncontrollable, upsetting, and revolting emotions, the logical and cautious part of her (which had become more and more evident since she had found out about the existence of the Czechoslovakians) calmly reminded her that Liz's parents still didn't even know that Liz hadn't died that night five years ago... No, it had to be something else.   
  
However, as Jeff waved her inside and she caught her first look of Nancy Parker, she knew that whatever was going on was something big. And then her eyes fell on the book lying in Mrs. Parker's lap and her heart almost lurched to a complete halt. It was Liz's journal. Before she had any more time to contemplate this horrific realization, Jeff told her to sit down. She hesitantly sat down, trying to avert her eyes from the diary and concentrate on acting innocent and ignorant of whatever they had to say. But it was as if the diary had a special impact on her, and it kept pulling her eyes towards it. It was the same diary that Liz had been hysterical about when she discovered it was missing a couple of years ago.   
  
She had arrived at Maria's doorstep in the middle of the night, telling Maria that her journal was missing. At first, Maria hadn't thought it was such a big deal. Sure, you write down every thought, every embarrassing feeling in them, but so does every other teenager who keeps a diary. Maria didn't understand the seriousness of the situation until Liz explained that she had written everything in that journal.   
  
_Everything_.   
  
About Max. About his, his sister's and best friend's unique origin. Unless Liz had pulled out all of the pages from that diary after that incident, Maria was pretty convinced that the book lying on the couch was basically a ticking time bomb. All of her various feelings and thoughts finally summed up to one phrase that kept running through her mind; _Have they read the diary?_   
  
"Hi, Mrs. Parker," Maria said lightly, but the trembling on her voice gave her casualness away.   
"We need you to read something," Mr. Parker said, giving his wife a nod. Maria swallowed loudly as Mrs. Parker stood up and walked over to her, placing the diary in Maria's lap and then turning it to the last pages. Maria looked up into Mrs. Parker's eyes and she felt shivers running down her spine at the signs of despair and hurt she saw there. She took a deep silent breath before she gathered all of her concentration to focus on the last pages Liz had written in her journal five years earlier.   
  
  
_I feel like I'm falling. Falling into a bottomless hole, with no ladders or ropes to help me out. With no light to put warmth back into my dark existence. Ever since Future Max came to me and told me that I had to give up the love of my life, and with that the greatest reason for me continue living, my life lost its purpose. The only remnants of what used to be my heart are painful shreds that are burning and stinging as if they had been drowned in corroding acid, and it gets worse every time I have to tell Max another lie. Every time I have to deceive him I also destroy a piece of what I am and what I believe in. But that's not even the worst part. Despite the fact that I'm so tired, so very tired, that sometimes I just want to lie down and cry myself to sleep, to not only sleep for a few restless hours, but for an eternity, death scares me as it is now following me around in everything I do. In every painful breath I take. __  
  
__I'm dying. __  
  
__I know it. I can feel it deep in the core of my being. I can't eat, I can't sleep. Last week I fainted from the mere exhaustion my worn-out existence has forced me into. Not even Max was able to bring any light to the dark nightmare that starts in the nights and stretches into the traitorous lights of the next day. __  
  
__Max. __  
  
__My efforts paid off, I managed to push him away. I can even live with the fact that I'm dying if it meant that I didn't have to see that hurt in his eyes. The hurt _I_ put there. And yesterday, my heart soared as a saw something in his eyes that I hadn't seen there in a long time. Life. __  
  
__My mind keeps pushing him away, wanting to protect him. Wanting to protect him from hurt, because truth is, _I'm_ the one who hurts him the most. But the last remnants of my still-beating heart beg him to listen to me. To listen to that voice inside of him that I'm convinced knows that I didn't sleep with Kyle. To listen to what we used to be - our love. The love neither one of us can let go off. We are both hurt, and that love has been put through more trials than imaginable, but it still lives on. I can still feel the small fluttering in my heart as I see him, even though my mind is screaming at me to push him away to prevent the end of the world. __  
  
__Under all of that hurt and despair in his eyes, the eyes that used to hold so much gentleness and warmth but now are so lifeless that they scare me, I can still see a small, although damaged, part of that warm love that used to shine through his eyes so brightly. The light I crushed to death because _he_ asked me to. A future version of him, but him nonetheless. __  
  
__His faith in me that he somehow manages to cling to dazzles me. I keep pushing him away, showing him that I don't need his help. Trying to make him understand that he has a destiny that doesn't include me, a destiny with Tess. That doesn't stop him from continuing to spend all of his free time at the Crashdown, watching me as I work. The intense gaze of love is gone, but I can still feel his eyes on me. He watches over me and it makes me feel safe, protected beyond comprehension. It doesn't matter how much I try to push him away because my heart gives me away. And Max still knows my heart. He always has...and probably always will. __  
  
__Yesterday I blacked out in the middle of class. Biology class. Which meant that Max was right there beside me. It didn't take him long to connect with me and search for my lost soul in my mind. And I realized once again how he keeps risking everything to keep me safe. We were in the middle of class and so there were several people around, but that didn't stop him from entering my mind, falling unconscious as well. That is one of the reasons I still love him and will always love him, for his incredible unselfishness and caring for the people around him - for me. He risked everything for me even when we didn't really know each other. Starting with dissolving a life-threatening bullet inside of me. __  
  
__He pulled me back. His love for me lead the way and I was dragged out of the dark pit my mind had ventured into. After class he wanted to heal me. I was so scared of the thoughts of dying that kept invading my body, leaving me in a paralyzed state of numbness. Knowing that he had the power to make everything better, I gave in, my mind for once too tired to object. But as we were in the Eraser room together, the memories of a happier time too strong and overwhelming, the realistic part of my being gained strength and started to come up to the surface. Max was so close. Jolts of electricity I've never experienced before went through me as his hands brushed the sides of my breasts as he lifted me up on the counter. I didn't want his hands to leave me, but we weren't where we had once been. There were too many conflicting emotions between us, too many obstacles to overcome, too many hurtful memories. __  
  
__He pulled away, but only to ask me for permission to connect with me. His hands protectively cradling my face made me want to escape the harsh reality and seek refuge in those eyes of his that, for the moment, were not cold. The hope shining in them was so clear. I could feel his...essence surround me, his scent filled not only my nose, but every pore of my body, my whole body smelled him. That's when my mind awoke, filling me with memories of what Future Max had told me about Michael and Isabel dying, and I pulled away. The confusion and hurt in Max's eyes was too much for me to bear, and I hastily run out of the room - leaving him behind me. __  
  
__And now I'm more afraid than ever. Will I die alone? Will I die without ever having the chance of feeling Max's lips on mine again? Will I die without feeling his love wrap around me? Will I die without ever getting the chance of making love to him? My heart cries - bleeds - for the life I'll probably never have._   
  
Hesitantly, Maria looked up from the pages and she could see the dried stains from Liz's tears as she had tried putting her painful feelings into words. They knew everything, Maria concluded as she met their intense gazes. She shifted nervously in her seat, their unwavering focus making her squirm. Finally, Maria met their eyes without blinking, wondering how much she should tell them. 

------------------------------------------------------

  
  
**_One week earlier_**_  
  
  
__"So, how do we do this?" __  
__"I'm not quite sure-" __  
__"You're not quite sure. Well, that sounds just great." __  
__"Michael, let him speak." __  
__"Sure, Maxwell..." __  
__"Kira, please continue." __  
__"Well... The Granolith was constructed in such a way that only let it be activated by the king and queen together." __  
__"But I thought that I was the only who could activate it." __  
__"Okay...'activate' is probably not the correct word... um... You, Max, activate the essential parts of the Granolith, but you need your queen to be able to activate the whole apparatus." __  
__"By 'queen', you mean Tess?" __  
  
__"Yes..." __  
__"Well, that is a problem. Tess is dust." __  
__"Yes, Michael. I'm quite aware of that. That's why the Granolith has a backup mechanism." __  
__"What does that mean?" __  
__"Whoever the king decided to bond with would also be able to activate the Granolith. Since there was always the risk that Ava might perish during the incubation during the journey to Earth or before the memories had gotten a chance to fully awaken, this backup was built in to further guarantee that the king returned." __  
__"What if Max died?" __  
__"Well, that wouldn't be good. Without the king, the survivors would be trapped on Earth because the king is the only one that is able to activate the Granolith." __  
__"Does this mean that Liz would be activating the Granolith with me?" __  
__"Yes." __  
__"Okay, we should get started. The more time that elapses, the more of an advantage Nicolas gets." __  
__"Yes, I agree with Max. So, how do we do this?"_

----------------------------------------------

  
  
"I-I don't even know where to start," Nancy said, her voice trembling.   
"Have you read Liz's diary?" Maria asked, although she was pretty convinced that she already knew the answer to that question.   
Mr. Parker nodded in confirmation.   
"I don't understand," Nancy said hoarsely.   
Maria swallowed, and took a deep breath.   
"Liz isn't dead," she whispered.   
"What?!" Mr. Parker said, bolting up from his seat. Mrs. Parker turned pale and looked as if she were about to faint.   
Maria was looking at them, trying to decide what to say as the last thing Michael had said to her before leaving Earth flashed through her mind.   
  
_You have to keep our secret safe, Maria, and remember that I'll come back to you._   
  
He hadn't said that he loved her, but she knew that promising her that he would return was the same as a love declaration in his book. Michael had always wanted to return to his home planet. He had never considered Earth his home. He had been convinced that he didn't belong on Earth, but that he was wanted on his home planet. The fact that he was willing to give it all up just to return to her spoke volumes about his love for her. She wanted to keep their secret so much, and she would have, if it weren't for the fact that the Parkers had obviously already found it out. Now they only needed her to confirm what they had read.   
  
"She's not dead...but she's not here either," Maria said.   
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mr. Parker asked.   
"She's...uhm...away," Maria stuttered, her nervousness growing under Mr. Parker's scrutinizing gaze.   
"Maria, please tell us. What's going on?" Mrs. Parker pleaded with her. "Jeff and I have spent the last thirty six hours reading the most unbelievable tale. And the most dazzling thing about it is that it isn't even a fictitious story. It is a description of the secret life my daughter was presumably leading. However, we don't know if our daughter was going mentally insane or if we should really believe this. You were her best friend, Maria, and you've known us since you were old enough to speak. So please, Maria. Tell us what happened to our baby girl."   
Maria looked deeply into Liz's mother's eyes, knowing that she owed them the truth. The truth Liz probably had wanted them to know.   
  
"You've read about the shooting, about Max healing her?" Maria asked. The Parkers nodded silently.   
"I don't know what Liz has written in her diary, but knowing her I would guess that she has documented most of it. So I'm gonna start where Liz diary ends. Five years ago Max and Liz broke up. Well, they weren't really together at the time, but Max was trying to convince Liz that he loved her and that he didn't care about Tess Harding."   
"The new girl, right?" Mrs. Parker asked.   
"Yes," Maria answered.   
"Before you continue, I need to know something. Is Max really an...an alien?" Mr. Parker asked, the disgust evident in his voice.   
"Yes. Yes, he is. And so are Michael and Isabel."   
"My God," Mrs. Nancy gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.   
"Has Max hurt Liz in some way?" Mr. Parker asked.   
  
"No. Well, at least not physically," Maria said, "I strongly believe that Tess messed with Max's mind somehow."   
"I don't understand," Mr. Parker said.   
"It's complicated. I don't know how much you know about Tess and her powers."   
"Um...well, we're still trying to get used to the fact that there are actually aliens around with _powers_, and one of them was dating our daughter," Mr. Parker said.   
"Right," Maria said and took another deep breath, rubbing her forehead with her fingers, "I guess you should make yourself comfortable. This is going to be a long story."


	42. Book 2 Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**   
  
  
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.   
  
The rhythmic sound of the clock reverberating trough the room was broken by a sigh escaping from Maria's lips as she leaned back into the sofa. How did she manage to end up in this situation? This wasn't her place to be. Liz should be telling her parents this, or at least Max. Not her. Not Maria Deluca, also known as hurricane Deluca. She wasn't good in these situations. This was Liz's department. She was calm and collected. She would know what to say. She would say the right things. She would be able to reassure her parents that everything was okay, even if she had been dating an alien, making out with an alien, and eventually having sex with an alien. Maria visibly cringed at the last thought. How did you tell your best friends' parents that their daughter had been having sex with an extraterrestrial, _and_ that they had created a child? Which now was on another planet. You didn't tell parents that. Her life was just a big joke. How did she end up in this mess?   
  
Right. She tiredly rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. She had _demanded_ to know what Max had done to Liz the day of the shooting. Whatever had possessed her to do that? She could've lived a normal life, happily ignorant of the fact that there were aliens living among them. But she also knew that she wouldn't have traded a single second of the life after the shooting. Even if everything was more or less fucked up, she had found some great friends in the Czechoslovakians. In fact, she doubted that she could find better ones anywhere else.   
  
But as she looked up at the Parkers sitting across from her, she couldn't help but curse whatever forces had put her there. Well, she might as well get it over with. She took a deep breath and mentally steeled herself for whatever would come after she opened her mouth.   
"How much of what Liz has written in her journal do you actually believe?"   
Mr. Parker cast a glance at his wife before taking her hand and squeezing it lightly.   
"Everything she had written in the journal sounded so crazy, but why would she lie in her journal? She must have believed that it was the truth. But she's talking about alien enemies, kings and princesses, conspiracies, alien hunters, the FBI... And all of this is supposed to have been taking place while she was living in our house, under our roof, and we didn't even notice it."   
Mr. Parker closed his eyes, a pained expression crossing his features. "If what Liz is saying in that diary is true, then we have failed as parents."   
"Jeff-" Mrs. Parker voiced softly. Her husband turned and looked at her, struggling with his emotions.   
"What kind of parents were we if we couldn't even protect our child?"   
  
Mrs. Parker dropped her eyes, a strained sob escaping her lips. Mr. Parker gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He didn't want to hurt her, but all this was eating him up inside. How could they have been so blind? He couldn't deny that he had seen changes in his daughter during the year after the shooting in the CrashDown, but he didn't think more about it. Why hadn't he? Had his child's life not mattered to him?   
"All those 'camping trips' she went on. Why didn't we look more deeply into what she was really doing? She could've gotten...killed."   
"Mr. Parker," Maria interrupted. She didn't want Liz's parents to break down before they had heard the whole story. "This isn't your fault."   
"Maria, we are her parents. It was our responsibility to take care of her, to look after her. How could we do that if we didn't know what people she spent her time with and where she was when she wasn't at home?"   
  
"Liz got very good at hiding. We all did. It was necessary to lie to you."   
"Why?"   
"Don't you understand?" Maria asked softly. "We were only trying to protect you. The secret we carried was lethal. We were trying to keep you safe by keeping you in the dark. The less you knew, the better. But we never thought it would get so out of hand."   
"The things Liz wrote in her diary," Mrs. Parker said, her voice cracking with emotions, "the way she describes Max Evans. If she only felt a fraction of what she described, the love between those two was far more deep and marvelous than I could ever imagine any love to be."   
  
She had thought about that a lot. Even though there were some elements of alien conspiracies and FBI in her daughter's writing, it was still mainly the diary of a teenage girl. And what she had written about her feelings about Max, even without the added alien tendencies, had stunned her mother. She had been intrigued with the love her daughter described. By reading the diary many pieces had fallen into place, and she had gotten an explanation for a lot of things that had happened.   
  
Despite the fact that her husband didn't seem to believe what Liz had written, Mrs. Parker knew that his daughter's words had affected him just as much as they had affected her. And no matter how much he tried to rationalize it, his daughter couldn't have been clearer in explaining what had happened to her. Mrs. Parker looked at the dogged jaw of her husband and knew that the main reason for him being so persistent in making Max into a monster was because he was feeling guilty. Guilty for not being there for his daughter. For not being a part of her whole life, but only the part she let him be a part of.   
  
Maria smiled at Mrs. Parker's description of what was between Max and Liz.   
"Believe me, when you see them together, you know. You know that Max would never intentionally do anything to hurt her. That he would die protecting her and she would do the same for him. I saw them together and I saw them apart, and when they are away from each other it's like they are two halves of a whole. They complete each other in ways I can't even begin to fathom. So know this, Max is not a threat. He's probably more human than anyone you have ever met. I have to admit that I was a little freaked out when I learned that there were aliens on Earth and that I actually 'knew' some of them, but after you've gotten to know them you will realize that they are no threat. They were raised human and all they want to do is survive. To lead normal lives."   
  
"Liz mentioned that in her diary. That Max had this deep longing to be normal."   
Maria nodded, a sad smile on her lips. "He wanted to be a normal boy, a boy who could have a normal relationship with the girl he loved without putting her life in danger. It was always about Liz. He would sacrifice everything for her. He would even give her up just so that she could have a normal life, away from him and all of the alieness."   
"Then why didn't he?" Mr. Parker blurted out.   
"Jeff!" Mrs. Parker exclaimed.   
Maria could understand his reaction. He wanted to keep his daughter safe at all costs. "Like I said, it's like they aren't complete without each other. Max could've walked away, but that would have been the same as writing him a death sentence. Liz had every chance to pull out, to just say no, but she didn't. She didn't want to. She wanted Max."   
  
"So...Max healed her," Mrs. Parker whispered, still amazed and humbled by that miraculous fact.   
Maria nodded slowly. "Yes. Please try to put this into perspective. Max, Isabel and Michael had been living their entire lives in fear. They knew that they were different and that if the wrong people found out, bad things would happen to them. They could be tortured or maybe even killed. So they hid. They were always the outsiders. They just blended into the background. But that day in September, when that gun went off and Liz got shot, everything changed. Max could have chosen to stay hidden, to stay sheltered, but when he realized that Liz had been shot, there wasn't a choice to make. In some ways he gave up his own life that day. But he once told me that if he hadn't saved her that day, his life wouldn't have been worth anything. He considered his life worthless if she wasn't in it. "   
  
Liz parents sat in a stunned silence. It had been difficult to take in everything Liz had written. The feelings she had talked about in her diary were so big, so deep, that they took on surreal proportions. But hearing Maria talk about it, confirming what they had read, somehow made it all more real. Everything started to sink in.   
"But Max was captured?" Mrs. Parker asked, her heart aching as she remembered her daughter's terrified words describing the event.   
Maria looked down at her fidgeting fingers, the memories of those nights flashing clearly though her mind. She had never been more terrified in her life than she had been when she found out that Liz was kidnapped, and it had all spiraled out of control when Max was captured and held by the vicious and cold-hearted Agent Pierce.   
"After the shooting, everything snow-balled. First, an FBI agent infiltrated our high school."   
"Ms. Topolsky?" Mr. Parker half-stated, half-asked.   
"Yes. Everything Max, Isabel and Michael had fought so hard to keep hidden was revealed when Max decided to save Liz's life."   
  
Mr. Parker shook his head. This whole situation was crazy. FBI-agents! And however much he wanted to, he could still not get over the fact that Max Evans was an alien. That boy had been sitting in their restaurant for as long as he could remember. He had always known in the back of his mind that Max had been in love with Liz. Max had practically followed his daughter around. That's when it hit him. Why had it never bothered him that Max Evans had been staring at his daughter for years? Was it only because he never did anything, that he didn't seem to be a danger? No. He could suddenly see it all so clearly. He had somehow unconsciously trusted Max.   
"He will protect her. He always has," Mr. Parker said slowly.   
His wife looked up questioningly at his complete turn-around about Max. "Jeff?"   
  
Mr. Parker turned and looked at her, taking both of her hands in his. "Nancy, for as long as I can remember Max Evans has been...watching over our little girl, and I let him. It's as if I just knew that I could trust him. Maria, what did they do to him in captivity? Were they studying him?"   
"I guess they were," Maria answered, "I don't really know what happened. Max never talked to me about it."   
"Liz didn't write much about it in her diary either," Mrs. Parker said absent-mindedly, "That must have been a horrific experience."   
"Liz was really upset about it and I only saw her reaction. I hope Liz talked to Max about it but I'm not sure that she did since she walked away from him only a day later."   
"She was afraid," Mrs. Parker said, trying to defend her daughter's actions.   
  
Maria held her hand up to stem Mrs. Parker's protests. "I'm not saying that what Liz did was wrong, I'm not saying that what she did was right either. She wanted to give Max time and space. She wanted him to make up his mind about his destiny and Tess. Also, I think that she couldn't deal with being there. Max had kissed Tess a week earlier and Liz had just learned that Tess was his bride in his former life. She wanted him to have choices. She didn't want to force herself on him. She truly loved him and she didn't want him to pick her because she was around, because she was the safe choice. If he chose her, she wanted it to be because he wanted her, not because he wanted to prove to himself that he didn't want Tess."   
"Tell us about Tess," Mrs. Parker said, "Liz didn't say much about her in her diary."   
  
Maria snorted. "I can understand why."   
"What did she do that was so terrible?" Mr. Parker asked. "If I understand it correctly, Max is just as much to blame."   
"I don't know about Max and why he did what he did. You'll have to talk to Max about that. But I do know that Tess was playing mind games. She was good at manipulating - in the human way - but her powers were also essentially about the mind."   
"You keep referring to her in a past sense. What happened to her?" Mrs. Parker asked.   
"She's dead," Maria sighed.   
Mrs. Parker took a deep shuddering breath and leaned back in the sofa. They were just teenagers and yet they were dealing with all of these terrible things, things that could kill them.   
"What happened?" Mr. Parker asked. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but if they were already stuck in this he might as well know everything.   
  
"Tess was raised by one of the protectors, Nasedo. He was sent to protect the royal four: Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess. But when he came to get them from their pods, Max, Michael and Isabel were already gone. The only one left was Tess. Now, Nasedo was more or less on the bad side."   
"How could they sent him to protect their royals if he was the man Liz describes?"   
Maria shook her head. "I have no idea. The aliens who planned this trip to Earth seemed smart enough to recreate the essence of their precious royals but not smart enough to double-check who they sent with them. The ship even crashed. It just seems as if they should have stayed in the laboratory."   
"So Nasedo raised Tess?" Mrs. Parker asked.   
  
"Yes, unfortunately. Nasedo taught her how to use her powers more than the others and brought out her alien side. That is how Tess differs from the others. Max, Isabel and Michael were all raised as humans. They instinctively knew that they needed to hide their alien side to stay safe and survive so they never really worked to improve their powers. Max and Isabel both can basically control their powers, but Michael's emotions were always somewhat uncontrolled and that affected his control. That's why Nasedo had taught Tess that emotions were a weakness and that's probably why Tess was always so cold. She couldn't understand other people's emotions. She didn't care. Everything she did was according to an underlying plan to get what she wanted. She definitely didn't care about humans. I imagine that Nasedo found Tess to be a good student. He really succeeded in devaluing a human's life in her eyes. Nasedo taught her that she was Max's bride and so the main objective in her life was to get together with Max. Imagine her surprise when she found Max was in love with Liz. Since Max wasn't really so eager to cooperate with her, she had to use her gerbil mindwarps."   
  
"What's that?" Mrs. Parker asked.   
"She could plant things in your head, make you see things that weren't there. She could rearrange your memories or even remove them."   
"But it still takes two to tango and as I've understood it from Liz's journal, Max wasn't completely uncooperative when he kissed Tess."   
Maria shook her head. "No, he definitely wasn't. I will not defend Max's actions. I don't even want to try to justify them, but I know that Tess played a big part in that one too."   
"It seems pretty unbelievable to me," Mr. Parker snorted. "I hope Max wasn't blaming it all on Tess."   
"Well..." Maria hesitated. Max hadn't really denied that he had kissed Tess, but maybe that was because he couldn't since Liz had seen them. Maria hadn't really thought of that before. Would Max have told Liz that he had kissed Tess if she hadn't confronted him about it? Or would he have kept lying about it? Maria didn't know, and it wasn't really her business.   
  
"Mr. Parker, I can't really answer that. I could only offer you speculations and bits of what Liz and Max have told me, but I won't do that because I would probably skew the truth unintentionally. But that incident isn't really important anymore."   
"It's important for us to understand what kind of person Max is," Mr. Parker objected.   
"Max has changed a lot in the recent years. He's not the same person he was before, so I don't know if that is even relevant anymore. Tess, on the other hand, was no saint. She worked for the 'bad guys', and she was evidently killed by the people she worked for."   
"That's terrible," Mrs. Parker said. Maria could do nothing else than shrug her shoulders. She didn't have much sympathy left for Tess. Not after all the years she had robbed of Max and Liz, as well as everything she had done after that.   
"Maria," Mrs. Parker said, silencing her husband with a stern look. This wasn't really what she wanted to talk about. She wanted to know how this all fitted together. How it all led up to her daughter dying, but not really dying. She was tired of being kept in the dark. She wanted to know about all the things that Liz hadn't written in her diary. There were five years that she still didn't know about. What had been going on if her daughter hadn't been dead? Where had she been, and why hadn't she contacted her parents?   
  
"Please, tell me. Was Liz held captive by the FBI?"   
Maria's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"   
"She was missing for five years, Maria," Mrs. Parker continued. "Where was she?"   
Maria relaxed some. "In Santa Fe."   
"What was she doing in Santa Fe?" Mr. Parker asked.   
Maria dropped her eyes, fingering one of the buttons on her skirt. "Raising her child."   
Simultaneously Liz's parents bolted up from their seats. "What?!"


	43. Book 2 Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**   
  
Maria took in the freaked out expressions on Liz's parents' faces. Oops. Maybe she shouldn't have just blurted it out like that.   
"Liz has a child?!!" Mr. Parker cried.   
"Um...yeah," Maria answered quietly.   
"Oh my god," Mrs. Parker breathed, sinking back down in the sofa.   
"Is Max the father?!" Mr. Parker demanded to know.   
Maria swallowed and nodded.   
"She had sex with an alien?!"   
Maria cringed at how absurd that sounded.   
"Mr. Parker, please..." she tried, looking up into Mr. Parker's fierce eyes.   
"How could he take advantage of her like that? What if he had hurt her?!" Mr. Parker was now pacing the floor in an upset manner and stopped abruptly once he had processed what he had just said. "God! He didn't hurt her, did he? Was it he who somehow raped her?" He raked his fingers through his hair, trying to fit all the pieces together, but nothing fit. "How could he?! I trusted him with my daughter!"   
  
"Jeff…" his wife pleaded. But he wasn't listening. Max Evans had slept with his baby girl and he wasn't even human.   
"What does that baby look like? Is she normal?!"   
"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Maria said softly.   
Mr. Parker stopped.   
"Tell us about her," Mrs. Parker said, tears shimmering in her eyes.   
Maria gave her a faint smile. She wished that she could give them more than just a description, but she would do her best for now.   
"She looks just like Liz and she's a lot like Liz in her behavior too. She's very caring and quiet. But she's so smart and so warm. She's an incredible four-year-old."   
  
"Is she...normal?"   
Maria nodded, her small smile growing warmer. "Yes, she is. She's perfect."   
They both relaxed and Jeff slowly lowered himself down on the sofa, feeling the anger running off him. "We have a grandchild," he mumbled.   
"Yes," Maria answered, but her smile died on her lips as she thought about what she had to tell them next. That their grandchild was now the one held captive. That would probably tear them apart. When she saw a glow she hadn't seen in their eyes since Liz 'died', she really didn't want to say anything. She wished she could just say that Liz and their grandchild were just fine. But she couldn't lie any longer.   
"Let me tell you about what happened after Liz stopped writing in her journal," Maria suggested.   
Silently, Mr. and Mrs. Parker nodded.   
"First, you need to know about the Granolith."   
  
"I think Liz mentioned something about it," Mrs. Parker said thoughtfully. Mr. Parker nodded in agreement.   
"I don't know much about it either. Liz was better at understanding that scientific stuff."   
Mrs. Parker gave her a sad smile, a smile that a couple of years earlier would have been a proud one.   
"All I know is that it was supposed to get Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess home when they were ready. It is some kind of spaceship, but it can also be modified to become other things."   
"That was the time machine, right?" Mr. Parker asked.   
"Uh-huh. That was really confusing," Maria said.   
"Yes," Mrs. Parker agreed. When she had read what Liz had written about a future version of Max coming back from the future to stop the end of the world, she had really feared that her daughter had finally gone crazy. Why would a world end just because two people loved each other? It seemed highly unlikely. But there it was, in black and white in her daughter's familiar handwriting.   
  
"As I've understood it, the Granolith is very powerful and the enemies of our aliens wanted it, along with Nasedo and Tess. Max is the only one that can activate the Granolith and hence Nasedo and Tess needed him on their side, and preferably together with Tess. The only way they could get Max to let go of Liz was to get rid of her. I don't really understand their plan, but they didn't kill Liz. They just made us believe that she died-"   
Mr. Parker raised his hand to silence her, confusion draped over his face. "Wait a minute. What do you mean? How could they make us believe that she was dead?"   
"Mindwarps. I told you they were powerful. Tess forced images into our heads that made us see Liz as dead."   
  
"But we buried her, she was in the coffin..." Mrs. Parker protested, utterly confused.   
"It was all a mindwarp," Maria stated.   
"How could she do that?" Mrs. Parker asked.   
"She doesn't have a conscience-" Maria started, but Mrs. Parker cut her off.   
"No, that's not what I meant. How can you mess so much with somebody's head. How does it work? She must have so much power and…and it was all directed at Liz."   
Maria nodded. "Liz couldn't defend herself. Nasedo and Tess attacked her that night but they didn't kill her. They took her to a motel and were planning on keeping her there. After a while Liz regained consciousness. She doesn't know how long she was out, but when she came to, she was alone. She managed to hide the fact that she was awake from Nasedo and Tess, and then she escaped."   
Mrs. Parker shook her head from side to side, trying to understand what Maria was telling them.   
  
"Why didn't she come home?"   
"She couldn't remember," Maria answered.   
"She couldn't remember?" Mr. Parker repeated.   
"She suffered from amnesia for five years. She didn't even know what her real name was. She didn't remember you. She didn't remember me. She didn't even remember Max. She was alone, fearing for her life, and pregnant."   
"Oh my God," Mrs. Parker sobbed, burying her head in her hands, "She was all alone, Jeff. She was out there on her own. She must've been so...so lost and we weren't even there for her..."   
Mr. Parker rubbed her back in an effort to offer her some consolation as he turned his eyes back on Maria.   
"What changed? Since you know all this, you must've found her."   
"Yes, we found her. We found Emma first and through her we found Liz."   
"Emma..." Mr. Parker breathed as if the name were sacred, "Is that her name? Is that our granddaughter's name?"   
  
Maria smiled. "Yes. She was on a field trip in Roswell and she met Max at the UFO center. We found out her last name and then tracked her down in Santa Fe. And then we discovered that Liz was really sick."   
"She was sick?" Maria cringed at Mrs. Parker's broken voice as she looked up from behind her hands. Maria wondered how much more she could load on them on one time.   
"Well, Max and Liz have this connection. They can...um... melt their souls together. See into each other's souls. Literally." Mr. and Mrs. Parker shared a confused look and Maria decided to just get it out. "When Max healed Liz he didn't just make a connection with her. He bonded with her. He sort of...married her..."   
  
"He married her?" Mr. Parker asked incredulously. He wasn't sure how he was going to react any longer. This just kept getting weirder and weirder and he was afraid that they hadn't even begun to scratch the surface.   
"Well, sort of. But in many ways it's stronger than a marriage. But this bond, as far as I've understood it, makes it impossible for them to live without each other. Since Liz was separated from Max for five years, her health deteriorated."   
"So, what you're saying is that Max was responsible for her being sick?" Mr. Parker asked.   
God, Maria thought, he's worse than a lawyer is at twisting words. "No, not really. Actually, if he had been _with_ her, she wouldn't have been sick."   
  
"But still, he is indirectly causing her illness by not being there," Mr. Parker argued.   
Maria sighed. "Max wanted to be there. He was beating himself up for not being there when Liz gave birth to their baby and helping her raise their daughter. But he couldn't. He thought she was dead just like everyone else did."   
"Jeff, don't blame Max. I don't think he understood what was happening either," Mrs. Parker said. Maria shot her a grateful look before returning her eyes to Mr. Parker. "If you knew what Max is like, you would know that he is already paying for what happened, whether it was his fault or not. He's a master at blaming himself and he would have died from kicking himself to death if Liz hadn't stopped him."   
Mrs. Parker actually smiled faintly and Maria relaxed some. So far, so good. Now it was just the bad part left.   
  
"Umm..." Maria scratched behind her ear, "As you might've noticed Liz and Max aren't here, and neither is Emma."   
"Yes, where are they?" Mr. Parker asked, feeling uneasy at Maria's obvious discomfort. Whatever she was about to tell them was something bad.   
"Well, one of Max's enemies is called Nicolas," Maria said.   
"Yes, I remember that," Mrs. Parker mused.   
  
"He was willing to do practically anything to get revenge on Max and eventually kill him," the words were flying out of her mouth now. She wasn't sure she would be able to get everything out if she didn't get it out all at once. "Because it was difficult to get to Max, he targeted Liz and Emma instead." Maria heard Mrs. Parker gasp, but she continued, not letting anything stop her now. "He kidnapped Emma and he took her to Max's home planet, Antar. Max and Liz used the Granolith to go after them and that's were they are now. On Antar, trying to save their daughter."   
  
Maria anxiously looked up as the unnerving silence enveloped her and was met by two very shocked parents. She chewed on her bottom lip, and sank further down in the armchair. This was _not_ good. 

--------------------------------------------

  
  
_Antar_   
  
He gently shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her from her sleep.   
*Serena.*   
It wasn't difficult. Serena instantly opened her eyes, her whole body preparing for combat. She was a trained soldier and was ready to fight at any second of the day. She was already half way out of the bed before her mate's hand stopped her.   
*Relax, Serena. Everything's okay.*   
She exhaled a breath that contained a lot of pent up tension. *Where have you been? It's the middle of the night.*   
He stroke one auburn strand of her hair away from her face and smiled. She hadn't seen him smile in months and it warmed her to her very core.   
*They have agreed to meet with us,* he said.   
*'They'? You mean, his majesty?*   
He nodded. *So we have a lot to do. We have to make this meeting really safe and really plan what we are going to do.*   
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. *Then we should get started.*


	44. Book 2 Chapter 11

_Hello!!_

_I'll try and sit down long enough to update everything I'm planning to update today. I'm just bubbling with nervous and excited energy. I'm going to Australia in less than a week. So, because of that, I'm going to update *a lot* today, so you can read whenever you want and find the time. _

_Thank you so much for the feedback!! _

_Lauraliz – I have a small question for you… Your fic… When can I expect an update on that one? ;-)_

_*hugs*  
  
_

_Josephin_

_Oh, and a small warning; This chapter is R-rated. Contact me if you want a censured chapter…_

**Chapter 11**   
  
  
As she stepped into the well-lit room, she couldn't find her anywhere. Confused, she looked around the room, feeling the beating of her heart quicken in fear. Quiet sobs drifted through the air, making her turn her head towards the bed. She quickly walked over there, and looked under the bed. There she was, lying on her side, her knees pulled up to her chin. Serena flinched as she saw the tears moving down the chubby cheeks. What had they done to trigger such a primitive reaction?   
"Emma," she said softly.   
At the sound of her voice the girl curled up even more, trying to make herself as small as possible.   
"Go away," she sobbed.   
"Emma, why are you sad?"   
"Go away, I want mommy."   
"Please come here and talk to me. You shouldn't lie under the bed."   
"They hurt me," the little broken girl whispered, "I hate needles. I hate needles. Mommy always holds my hand, but mommy didn't come. Mommy didn't come."   
"Emma, sweetie, come here," Serena coaxed.   
But the girl just shook her head and wiggled further away from Serena's outstretched hand.   
"I want mommy! _I want mommy!_" she cried.   
Serena flinched at the intensity of Emma's demand. With a long look at the dark-haired girl, Serena rose and quietly left the room. 

-----------------------------------------------------

  
  
Liz could feel his gaze caressing her back. She could feel it move from her shoulders, down along her back, over her bottom, and to her legs. His gaze was like a burning fire, making goose bumps spread out over her skin.   
  
She turned her head and found him standing in the opening of their tent looking at her. "See anything you like?" she teased.   
"Uh-huh," he answered, and she felt her heart flutter as she witnessed his amber eyes darken. Seeing him standing there, just looking at her without a word made her crave to know his inner thoughts, his inner feelings. The parts of him that were only accessible when they made love. The feelings she usually picked up from him were not there today. He was blocking their connection. But the knowledge didn't sadden her, but made her heart beat faster in anticipation. She had no clue to what he was going to do, and that heated her body in ways only he could.   
  
"Care to elaborate?" She stepped closer to him, flirtatiously darting out her tongue and slowly wetting her lips. She watched Max's eyes move to her lips and his eyes grew even darker.   
"Mmm..." Max said, clueless of what Liz was talking about.   
"Mmm what?" Liz asked, taking a step closer to him.   
"You are so beautiful," Max murmured, looking down at her when she stepped up to him. Liz felt her face flush from the intense way those words floated over his lips. He could turn the simplest of words into something incredibly beautiful. She looked up into his eyes, letting the love she found there run through her and wrap itself around her essence.   
"You look pretty good yourself," she breathed, slowly rising on the tips of her toes, moving closer to his lips. Her eyes fluttered closed as he moved his hand to her cheek, his fingertips diving into her dark tresses. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the heat radiating from the surface of his soft palm into her cheek. The act was so simple, yet made her feel so cherished.   
  
"I love you," he mumbled, and she opened her eyes to look into his. She stilled in her movements as she saw how his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. Her forehead creased in concern and she slowly brushed away the dark bangs from his forehead with her fingertips. The movement caused electricity to shoot through their bodies and Liz leaned closer against his body, letting his body heat flow into her.   
"Are you okay?" she whispered.   
"I love you so much," he whispered, his voice cracking. She didn't have time to answer him before his lips softly touched hers. The kiss was so soft, so tentative that it brought tears to her eyes. Their lips softly moved together, sending electrical currents through their bodies. The salty taste mixing into their kiss caused Liz to pull back slightly. Her heart fluttered with pain as she discovered the reason for it. Unrestrained tears were trickling down Max's cheeks.   
  
"Max..." she whispered. She slowly kissed his tears away, but he burrowed his hands in her hair and angled her lips back to his. The gentleness of the former kiss had been washed away. Max forcefully melded their lips together. Liz pulled him closer. She could feel the ache in her stomach burning and intensifying. She needed more of him. His tongue forcefully demanded entry into her mouth and she willingly granted him it. Their tongues brushed together, swirled around. Tasting each other, exploring, trying to satiate a need that couldn't be satisfied. She whimpered as he pulled her closer, devouring her. Her hands crawled under his shirt and restlessly moved over his taut muscles. She moaned impatiently as his lips left hers and started a descent down her jaw line. She pressed more firmly up against him, trying to subdue the ache coiling in her abdomen by desperately rubbing against him.   
  
"God, Liz..." Max groaned, sucking on the sensitive skin of her neck in a possessive manner. Marking her. Branding her as his. Neither one of them were aware of the fact that they were still standing in the opening of the tent, partly visible to the outside. All they were aware of was the feeling of the other under their fingers, of the other's taste and scent.   
"I need you..." Liz moaned, "I need all of you."   
Max groaned as he felt her small hand move within his boxers. "Liz..."   
"Please Max..." He knew what she was begging him of. He just wasn't sure he could handle it. The movements of his hand caressing her bare skin under her shirt momentarily stilled as he was assailed by the images hidden deep in his mind.   
"Max?" He jerked his head to find her looking at him. Her hair was tousled, her lips swollen and red, her cheeks flushed. Her eyes worried. "What is it?"   
He shook his head, but she stilled his movements with her confused look. "Talk to me."   
  
A faint sob escaped his lips before he had a chance to stop it and he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Her heart stung as she buried her hand in his hair, holding him close. His tears were soaking her sweater.   
"I've failed," he whispered brokenly.   
He tried to pull away from her, but she just tightened her grip on him. "No, Max. You haven't failed."   
"They might be hurting her."   
Liz felt the ever-present knife jabbed into her heart twitch. "We're doing everything we can."   
"No. We aren't. We could be out searching for her right now. Instead we're stuck in this place doing nothing. God, I feel so helpless. I'm supposed to be this great king, and I can't even protect my own child."   
  
"Max, stop it. This isn't helping her at all. Someone once told me that she needs us to stay strong. Maybe you should take your own advice, Max."   
"I saw her, Liz," Max said, his voice cracking.   
"What?" Liz whispered.   
Max pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes. Tears welled up in Liz's eyes as she saw the devastated and forlorn expression on his face.   
"In my dreams."   
"You remember them." Somehow she didn't really want to know what his dreams were about. He was so frightened when he had them. She could hear him crying out in anguish in the middle of the night. She wasn't sure she wanted to know about something that could frighten him so much. But he needed her. He needed her to listen. And he had been there for her so many times that she couldn't deny him that, even though her torn heart cried out in protest of being exposed to any more torture.   
He nodded and softly placed his hand against her cheek, brushing away her tears as his own were rolling down his cheeks.   
  
"I don't want to tell you about them."   
"I need to know, Max. I can't let you take all that on your own shoulders. You have to let me take some of it. You need to talk about it."   
"I can't..."   
"Then show me."   
His eyes widened and he began shaking his head. "No, I can't show you."   
"Max…"   
"No," he said firmly, "I don't want you to see them. Liz, these images have plagued my sleep ever since Emma was taken from us and I don't want you to have them too."   
"Please, Max. Then tell me. This is eating you alive."   
He dropped his eyes, his fingers idly playing with her sweater. "I love you so much. I would never hurt you."   
His voice was barely above a whisper.   
"Max, look at me."   
She put a finger under his chin and forced him to look at her.   
"I know you wouldn't hurt me, Max. I trust you with all my heart. You are the kindest man I know and I love you more than you'll ever know."   
  
He nodded, looking at her intensely, as if she would disappear if he blinked and clinging to her with fresh tears streaming down his face, as if she were his only link to sanity.   
"Tell me."   
Max closed his eyes and pulled her into his arms again, holding her close. Letting the smell of her essence, of Liz Parker, fill his nose. He could feel the beating of her heart through the connection, could feel the sorrow and concern for him in her beautiful soul. What had he ever done to deserve her?   
He opened the connection a little, like a door being left ajar, and he felt her tremble in his arms from the intensity of it. A strangled sob escaped her lips and he moved his hands under her sweater. The need to feel her skin was immense. Overwhelming. And then he started talking.   
"I can hear her calling for me. But I can't see her. I can't help her. They are all different, the dreams. But in every one of them.... I can't find her. And it always ends the same way."   
  
As his voice died in her ears, she whispered, "How?" Fearing the knowledge.   
"There's this man who laughs at me, and says that she's...dead."   
Her greatest fears were coming alive. "What if it's true, Max? What if she's dead?"   
He pulled her closer to him, their bodies almost melting together.   
"I can't feel her any longer," Liz sobbed, "What if our little girl is dead? What if she was all alone when she died, hoping that we would save her and we never came?"   
"I'm sorry," Max said, "I swore that I would protect you, both of you."   
"We have to find her, Max. This is killing me. I don't know how much longer I can live like this."   
Max lifted his head from the crook of her neck and pushed her hair back from her damp face. Slowly, he started to kiss her face.   
"I would die just to keep you safe," Max said, kissing the outward signs of her heartache away.   
  
She sniffled, bringing her lips to his. The emptiness inside of her was tearing at her, slowly ripping her apart. He was what kept her together and she needed to feel his love. She needed to have him inside of her, to feel all their emotions blend into the connection, melting their souls together.   
"Make love to me, Max," she whispered.   
Without a word, his warm soft lips moved down her neck and she gasped as his tongue moved out and tasted her skin.   
"I can't wait. I need you now," Max whispered.   
She quickly started to unbutton his shirt. "Yes..."   
  
He pulled her sweater over her head, releasing her lips only for the amount of time it took him to remove the piece of clothing. Their kisses became fierce, passionate, their hands restless on their heated skin. Liz pushed Max's shirt off his shoulders and started to fiddle with the button on his pants as Max's lips closed over her aching breast. She gasped at the contact, momentarily forgetting what she was about to do. Max moved their burning bodies backwards, his body pressing up against hers as their hands continued to touch, trying to calm the raging fire inside. Liz fell on her back with Max on top. Neither one of them felt the hard ground beneath the thin mattress as Max removed his pants, and just as quickly afterwards started to place kisses all over Liz's flat stomach. God, her taste was intoxicating. A man could get addicted to the scent and taste of Liz Parker. And he was undeniably an addict with a strong need for his fix.   
  
As his mouth continued its travel over her skin, his hands worked on pulling down the zipper of Liz's jeans. Who said that men couldn't do two things at the same time? Liz arched up against his hand as the back of it lightly brushed over her aching core. With some otherworldly help, Liz's jeans were swiftly removed. Liz locked her hands around Max's neck and pulled him towards her lips. Their bodies pressed together as he lowered himself on top of her, his lips and tongue doing to her mouth what his body wanted to do to her body. Electricity sizzled in their veins and arteries, penetrating every cell as her soft breasts pressed into his hard chest. Skin against skin. Liz pressed her body against his as much as she could, but the frustration erupted within her as their underwear was still an obstacle preventing them from melting into one. They were both too absorbed in each other, in the feeling of each other's skin, in their scents, that neither wasted a thought of how the underwear magically disappeared from their bodies as Liz's frustration grew.   
  
Max kissed her cheeks, her jaw, her forehead, her neck, her noise, her closed eyelids, before finally tasting the sweet taste of her warm lips as he laced his fingers with hers and slowly started to push inside of her. In the midst of all the unbound emotions, heightened feelings, and heated kisses, Liz felt the deepest sense of inner peace as Max started to slowly move inside of her. Max's fingers pressed deeper into the back of Liz's hands as the rhythm was building up between them. This was home. This was where he belonged. Connected with Liz.   
  
They both gasped when the connection flared open between them. Their feelings mingled together, seeking out its partner, becoming one. Liz opened her eyes and met Max's. It was the most beautiful thing she could ever experience. Feeling Max inside of her, being a part of her, and at the same time be granted a look at his inside and feel all of his feelings. Hear his beautiful thoughts float around in her head.   
  
She was suddenly struck with a deep fear, shooting through the connection like a knife cutting into flesh. Max's movements stilled somewhat, and he worriedly searched her face. Being so deeply connected with her, he wasn't sure if the fear was his or hers.   
"Please...don't leave me, Max. Don't ever leave me," Liz said, her breathing erratic from their lovemaking.   
  
A pained expression flashed over Max's eyes and the feelings that transferred over the connection affirmed for Liz that she had nothing to fear.   
"Liz, you are my life. I can't exist without you."   
She nodded and smiled weakly. "I just needed to hear that."   
He returned her smile and slowly disentangled his fingers from hers, lightly brushing them down her arms that were resting above Liz's head. The light brushing over the sensitive soft skin of the underside of her arms caused goose bumps to spread over Liz's body. His warm, strong hands came to rest gently against the sides of her breasts as he lowered himself to gently mold his lips to hers.   
  
"Without you," he started to kiss down her neck, "I'm lost."   
"Show me," Liz breathed. Max didn't need a second command. He started to move his hips again, feeling the warmth of her walls close around him.   
Liz could feel the pressure building up between them, their energies feeding into their bond, waiting for release. Liz wrapped her legs around Max's waist in a desperate attempt to bring him even closer. She could feel the ache in her abdomen increasing as Max thrust faster into her, steadily bringing them both to the brink.   
"Oh Liz..." Max moaned as he felt her tightening around him.   
  
"Max..." she gasped as she felt her insides tighten around him, increasing the friction. Her world spiraled and she felt weightless as release coursed through her whole body. The intense warmth spread all over her body, as wave after wave of intense pleasure racked her, making her tremble under Max. He was not far after, the intense feelings of his own orgasm mixing with hers through the connection. With a deep feeling of contentment and relaxation, Max lowered himself down on her, placing soft kisses over her damp face. Their bodies were still connected, the bond between them fully open.   
  
That's when they heard it. Whispering at the back of their heads. Their eyes met with shock as they realized what it was.   
"Mommy… I'm scared."   
Emma.

TBC…


	45. Book 2 Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**   
  
  
"Michael? What are you doing here?"   
"We found Emma. We're back."   
She looked at him with surprise edging her features. He could see that she was having trouble believing him.   
"You did?" There was tentative hope lingering in her voice. As if she was too afraid to hope what she so badly wanted to believe.   
"Yes, Max and Liz went over with Emma to the Parker's. They are probably all meeting now."   
Tears were glistering in her eyes as she watched him with an expression of amazement on her face.   
"Oh my Go-" Her shocked voice was muffled by his shirt as she flung herself in his arms. There lips hungrily sought each other out.   
"I've" kiss "missed" kiss "you" kiss "so much."   
  
"I've missed you too," Maria mumbled against his lips and he felt his heart soar at her words. He had never loved her more than in this moment. She had never looked more beautiful than she had done when she had opened the door, even though her hair was tousled with sleep and she wore old pajamas with pink elephants. There were no words to describe how fiercely he had missed her and that was not just due to the fact that words often didn't come to him easily. He was, however, planning on using other methods to show her just how much he had missed her. How much she meant to him. How much he loved her. How he couldn't live another day without her.   
  
There were no words exchanged as they stumbled into the house. Michael swiftly closed the door behind him with his foot, his lips still locked with hers. Her taste was making him delirious, teasing him into wanting even more. He couldn't get enough of her. His hands sprawled over her back and he pulled her as close to his body as he could. Somehow, they made it over to the couch and fell over the armrest. Maria moaned in disapproval as Michael fell on top of her.   
"Michael Guerin," she panted between his heated kisses, "Have you gained some weight on Antar?"   
"Don't talk," Michael grunted.   
"Mr. Smoothtalker," Maria said sarcastically. But he knew that she didn't want it any other way. Her small hands moved under his shirt, pulling at it desperately.   
"Too many clothes, too damn many clothes," Maria moaned.   
  
He had to agree with her there. What stupid guy had came up with the idea of wearing clothes anyway? Clothes were highly overrated. That's when having special abilities came in handy. Especially the ability to push molecules apart and make obstacles like these disappear into thin air - literally.   
  
But before he could do anything she was hitting him in the chest.   
"Maria? What?!"   
"Michael!"   
He stared down at her. Her eyes were looking at him angrily. Would he ever understand what the hell was going on in that head of hers? Women...   
"Maria! What are you doing?" he grunted.   
"Michael!"   
And suddenly it wasn't Maria's voice any longer. It grew a little darker and a little more annoyed than angry.   
  
  
His eyes snapped open and instead of Maria's green eyes, he was staring into Isabel's brown ones. He quickly cleared his mind from the dream, but he couldn't stop feeling Maria's lips pressed up against his. "What's wrong?"   
"Max and Liz have called a meeting," Isabel answered. Her voice was short and he could hear the streak of annoyance that had been following Isabel around more and more the last couple of days. Being on Antar was slowly changing them. _Antar_ was changing them. It was taking away their humanity bit by bit, and without their human counterparts to guide them back, they were getting lost. The only one of them who had been more or less unaffected with the changes was Max. He had Liz.   
"In the middle of the night?" Michael growled.   
Isabel pulled away the thin sheet that was covering him. "Yes. Now, get your ass in gear. They're waiting. And they are not happy."   
  
Michael growled again, despite himself. This just sucked. What could be so important that they had to wake him up in the middle of the night? In the middle of one of his Maria dreams to be precise. 'Well,' he thought as he rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his hand, 'maybe there might just be some action for once.'   
  
His annoyed behavior was completely washed away though, when he and Isabel entered the main tent. Glowing orbs were placed all over the place, their light trying to break through the thick, sticky darkness. Everyone seemed to be there: all of Kira's men, Kira himself, and Max and Liz, of course. Michael didn't even have to look at Max's face to know that this was big. That something had indeed happened.   
"Maxwell. What's going on?"   
Michael met his best friend's eyes and he had to look away from the intense look he found in them. His eyes moved to Liz who was sitting beside Max, clasping his hand as if it was the only thing keeping her sane.   
"There has been a change of plans," Max said. His voice was slow, but if Michael was not mistaken, it carried a new strength, a new determination. What the hell was going on here?   
  
No one said anything. Everyone waited for Max to continue. He slowly rose from his seat and, with sinking hearts, they all watched the reluctance with which Liz let go of his hand. He seemed to have the same problem letting go of her.   
"We are re-scheduling the meeting with the Loyalists. I want it earlier."   
His voice was firm and it left no room for arguments, but Michael wanted to know the reasons behind this. Kira seemed to agree with him.   
"Max, that could be dangerous," he said, rising from his seat.   
"I know," Max answered, looking at him, "But there is no longer any choice."   
"It takes several days for a secure meeting place to be set up," Michael said, "Kira told us that earlier, Max."   
  
Max turned his head towards him and Michael could see in his eyes that there was no use fighting him. He would do this.   
"Not if it's only one person," Max said quietly.   
"What?" Isabel exclaimed. Michael could see confusion and fear crossing over Liz's face. She obviously hadn't been informed of that little detail either.   
"Max, you can't meet with them alone. You could get yourself killed," Michael said in a hopeless attempt to change his mind.   
"There is no time to organize a big meeting and I need to meet with them now. I need to see if we can form an alliance with them right now. Time is running out, Michael."   
Michael stared at Max and then turned to Kira for help, but Kira was silent.   
"Kira. What do you have to say about this?" Michael asked. He needed someone on his side to force Max not to do this. This was an impulsive decision and Max wasn't impulsive. Something always went wrong when Max was impulsive.   
  
"If the meeting needs to be put in action earlier than we had planned, then the same security can't be established. The only way to be able to create some security in that short time is to make the meeting smaller. Max going on his own is the best solution."   
"What? You're agreeing with him?" Isabel asked grimly.   
Kira shook his head and turned towards Max. "You can't do this on your own, Max. You need a couple of guards and-"   
"I'm going with you," Michael said firmly.   
He met Max's eyes and he could see relief flash in his eyes. "I was hoping you would say that," Max said.   
"Count me in too," Isabel said.   
Max looked at his sister. He had already anticipated that she probably wouldn't want to be left out either and as much as he had tried to let the protective brother side in him win, he knew that if they were placed in possible danger Isabel and Michael were the people he trusted the most and they had been training their powers most together. They were most in sync.   
  
Max nodded in answer to Isabel.   
"Max, this isn't like you. What happened?" Isabel asked.   
Max glanced over his shoulder in Liz's direction as if he was seeking out her comforting presence.   
"They're hurting Emma," he said.   
Isabel's eyes widened and her gasp was drowned behind her hand. "What?" she breathed. Of course, they should've anticipated as much; little Emma was in the hands of their enemies and she was defenseless. However, being faced with the cold certainty in Max's voice sent chills down her spine.   
"How do you know?" Michael asked.   
  
Max turned his head and looked in Liz's direction again, this time letting his gaze linger at her face for a longer time, as if he was drawing strength from her. "We heard her. She somehow tapped into our connection."   
"I've always had a connection with Emma," Liz spoke up. Her voice was so small and weak. So unlike the strong Liz they knew. "But it was stronger from her side. She could always read my feelings through the connection. Tonight, Max and I was connected and she somehow tapped in on our connection."   
"Probably because we are stronger when we are connected," Max filled in, "and that made it easier for us to hear her."   
"You haven't been able to contact her before?" Isabel asked. The three of them had had sessions where they had tried to use Isabel's sleepwalking abilities to reach Emma, but it hadn't worked. Isabel knew that Max and Liz had continued trying on their own, but their efforts been just as unsuccessful.   
  
Max shook his head. "No, it was as if something was blocking her. Blocking her connection to us. But for some reason that block was missing today."   
"Or she was stronger," Isabel said.   
Max nodded. "Exactly."   
"So, she's in danger?" Michael asked.   
"She told me that she was scared," Liz said, "and then she was just gone. But we could feel...pain as she said the words."   
"We have to do this now, before they do something serious to her," Max said.   
Isabel nodded. "Yes, let's get working."   
  
"Kira, contact the loyalists and tell them that the meeting is off and instead we are going to arrange a smaller meeting. I only want to meet with their leader, but he can have some of his people with him as long as it is safe."   
Max, Michael and Isabel were soon deep in conversation about how to plan the meeting. Liz was standing on the fringes of the group, her mind desperately seeking any contact with Emma. But Emma was gone. If it hadn't been for the fact that Max had heard her too, Liz might have wondered if she had imagined it all. But they were hurting her and Liz wasn't going to let anyone hurt her little girl. From the determined glances Max shot in her direction during their planning, she knew that Max was not going to let anyone hurt Emma either. Not if they could help it. 

----------------------------------------------------

  
  
Serena took a deep breath before she stepped into the palace. She needed to calm down. There was really nothing to worry about. Yeah, right. She was just going to more or less demand that Livenders let her take Emma outside. She wanted permission to take their precious captive out for the day because she knew that Emma was withering away there in her room. Even though Serena had never met Emma outside captivity, she had been able to sense her carefree and joyous spirit on their first meeting. It was like a faint trace of the girl she once was. But lately, Emma had become withdrawn. She hadn't spoken a word to Serena since Serena had found her crying under her bed. She couldn't get through to her any longer. Either she was almost catatonic, staring off into the air, or she was crying for her mother.   
  
Serena didn't know what they did to her while she wasn't there. From the pieces of information she got out of Emma during her upset crying, she could tell that they were sampling her blood and maybe even scanning her brain. She didn't know what they were looking for. They already knew that she was human. Maybe there were looking for traces of Antarian in her. Maybe they were trying to determine if she had any connection to the king, to Zan.   
  
As Serena walked through the huge halls and stepped up to the guard, she was more determined than ever to help Emma whether she was Zan's daughter or not.   
The same bulky guard she had met with when she had been assigned to Emma's case was staring menacingly at her.   
*What's your business here?* he huffed.   
She took a deep breath, wondering if he had to follow a certain script when he talked.   
*I am to meet with The Livenders.*   
*Have they requested your presence?* the guard asked, hostility in his voice.   
Serena ducked her head slightly, giving off the impression that she was no threat. *No,* she answered.   
The guard frowned. *What is your name?*   
  
*Serena.*   
And then the same process as before followed. The guard's hands hovered over her so he could determine that she was telling the truth about her identity and could look for any trace of deceit. Serena focused hard to block her thoughts about the loyalists. The guards were well trained and their minds' were powerful, but so was hers and obviously she was able to resist him successfully again since he pulled his hands away and nodded.   
*You are free to enter the realm of the Livenders.* With a wave of his hand the door behind him disintegrated and she stepped inside. The only difference from last time was that this time another guard stepped out of the shadows and followed behind her. This time she wasn't expected.   
  
The man she had spoken to last time stepped out of the Lower Chambers and greeted her with a small nod of his head.   
*Emotival Serena.* He waved the guard off with his hand and Serena could sense the guard's presence moving to the back of the room. He didn't leave the room, but he gave them privacy.   
*Master Leiko,* Serena answered.   
*What is your reason for being here?*   
*My apologies for interrupting,* Serena said.   
*Is everything to your acceptance?*   
*Master Leiko,* Serena took a deep breath, *I have something to ask of you.*   
*Yes, Emotival Serena.*   
*I believe that the little girl, Emma, is in the need of outdoor activities.*   
  
The master nodded. *Yes, I've heard some rather disturbing news. Is there any progress?*   
Serena shook her head. *Negative, master. That's why would I consider a change of environment to be of good use.*   
Master Leiko looked at her, his expression pensive. *Our interest lies in progress with the human, so whatever can further facilitate a development we fully encourage. However, this is not a decision for me to make on my own. I will consider your request and talk it over with the Elders.*   
Serena smiled. *Thank you, master.*

TBC…


	46. Book 2 Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**   
  
  
"Hello, Emma. How are you today?"   
The girl didn't answer. She just kept staring at the wall. She was sitting Indian-style on top of the white bedspread, clutching something to her chest.   
"What do you have there?" Serena asked softly. She slowly approached the girl, afraid that she would frighten her if she moved too quickly. She was afraid that somewhere along the way the confidence she had been able to ignite in the girl had dissipated and now she had to get it back. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to help her.   
  
Emma didn't answer so Serena slowly knelt in front of her and looked up into her face. The little girl's hair had grown and her dark bangs were brushing the upper corners of her large eyes. Her eyes, formerly so warm, had turned vacant, empty. It chilled Serena to the bone to look at the girl and not be able to see her soul anymore.   
"May I look?"   
Still there was no answer. Serena slowly reached for what Emma was clutching to her chest. Emma didn't react, didn't utter one single sound of protest as Serena took the fabric away from her.   
  
It was nothing, Serena noted as she looked down at what Emma had clutched so dearly to her heart. It was only a shirt. A piece of clothing. A white shirt that belonged to the palace, which meant that it couldn't hold any good memories for Emma, only fear and isolation.   
"Emma, why are you holding this?" she asked, searching the little girl's face.   
Emma wasn't looking at her. She was looking past her. Serena moved into her line of vision, but still she did not react. It was as though the girl was looking right through her.   
"Do you want me to leave?"   
Serena was desperate to get some kind of reaction out of her - any at all - so that she would at least know that she was alive.   
No answer.   
  
"You want me to get you anything? Is there something you would like?"   
No answer.   
"I read something about candy. Do you want candy? Or ice-cream?"   
No answer.   
"Emma," Serena gently brushed the bangs out of Emma's eyes, "I want you to know that you can trust me. I'm your friend. And I'm going to take care of you until your mommy and daddy can take care of you."   
The jerk of Emma's head in her direction was so forceful she jumped in surprise. Emma's eyes bore into her very soul.   
"Mommy?" Her voice was so small and lonely, Serena wanted to resort to her primitive reflex to cry, which she hadn't done since she was a child.   
  
"Yes, honey. Your mommy is looking for you," Serena's voice trailed off, knowing how dangerous it was to talk about this here. She looked into Emma's eyes and gently, trying not to scare her, pushed into her mind. Emma's eyes widened as she realized what Serena was doing and she tried to pull away, but Serena hushed her softly. Made her feel safe.   
  
_Emma, listen carefully to me. Your mommy and daddy are looking for you and I'm going to help them find you. But first you have to be a good girl, okay?_   
  
Emma nodded. Serena could feel her confusion ripple through the connection, but for the first time Serena understood the depth of this girl's bravery. She was so strong.   
  
_The men here are not nice, but as long as you do what they tell you to do they will not hurt you._   
  
Serena certainly hoped that she was giving Emma the truth. Of course, she couldn't know for sure what the men in the palace would do to Emma, but she knew for a fact that they would be easier to control if Emma cooperated.   
  
_You are not alone, Emma. I'm here to take care of you until your parents find you. Do you understand?_   
  
Emma nodded.   
Serena smiled. "I'll be back again tomorrow, Emma. Good-bye."   
Emma nodded and Serena could feel her confused, but relieved, eyes follow her until the door closed behind her. 

---------------------------------------------------

  
  
*Tonight.*   
Serena closed the door behind her and frowned at his voice. *Tonight?*   
Aldonis stepped out of the shadows of the poorly lit room and took her hand, pulling her further into the house. Cradling her face in his hands he easily formed a connection with her.   
  
_*His Majesty has requested to meet with us tonight.* __  
__*So soon?* __  
__*There's been a change of plans. It's not entirely safe, that's why we have to cut down on the number of guards.* __  
__*What triggered this sudden change of plans?* __  
__*I'm not sure. But I got the feeling that things are slowly turning worse. Has something happened to the human child? Because if there is some connection between His Majesty and the child that could be the reason for this abrupt rescheduling.* __  
__*Actually, lately she's been more withdrawn. I can barely get in contact with her. Do you think that she is somehow communicating with His Majesty?* __  
__*Is she capable of doing that?* __  
__*I don't know. But I formed a connection with her today and I had no problem doing it. It was as if she was prepared for the connection. I got the feeling that she is used to mental connections. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if she was in fact connected to someone.* __  
__*Maybe we'll find out that tonight.* __  
__*Is everything ready for the meeting?* __  
__*Almost. I've contacted Londror and he's preparing the men.* __  
__*Where?* __  
__*We'll meet in the Mnordi Forest.* __  
__*Good. I'll get my things.*_   
  
Aldonis pulled out of her mind and Serena casually walked into the kitchen area.   
*How was your day?* Aldonis asked lightly.   
*Just fine,* Serena answered. *I made some progress.*   
*That's great,* Aldonis said. 

-------------------------------------------------

  
  
Max gently placed a kiss on Liz's lips and slowly pulled away from her, his arms still locked around her trembling body. "I'll be okay."   
"I know," Liz whispered, wishing that she could believe it.   
"Don't go anywhere. Stay inside and don't go anywhere alone."   
"I know," Liz whispered again, neither of them really paying attention to what they were saying. Their attention was focused on the feeling of each other's body.   
"You have to do this," Liz said, "I wish I could come with you."   
"So do I," Max said and they both knew the truth of that statement. Max looked into her eyes, ascertaining himself of the fingerprint of her soul. Burning her image onto his retina, as he had done so many times before. "I love you."   
"I love you," Liz said slowly and captured his lips. Her hands moved into his hair and pulled him closer, her whole essence whimpering under him. His warm hands slowly traced the contours of her cheeks as his lips were loving her skin.   
"Come back to me," Liz said as he pulled away from her. He rested his forehead against hers and murmured.   
"I'll always come back to you."   
  
"Max," Isabel's gentle voice made Max and Liz inhale deeply with the realization of their separation. Max was only going to be gone for one night, but they were all painfully aware of the risky nature of the meeting. Of everything that could go wrong.   
"It's time," Isabel said and watched Max and Liz pull away from each other. Their limbs slowly separated, changing from one whole to two smaller parts. Lastly his fingertips left hers and with one last glance at her, Max turned and walked out of the tent with his sister.   
Outside, he captured one of the head guards. "Don't let her out of your sight for even a second, even if she commands you to leave her alone, don't." Liz _did_ know the seriousness of the situation, but Max knew that she could be very stubborn and very particular about her privacy, "I don't care if you make her believe that you are leaving her alone and then continue watching her, or if you openly disobey her, just don't for a second leave her alone. Do you understand?"   
"Yes, Your Majesty."   
"Good." 

---------------------------------------------------------

  
  
It was a cold night. It was one of those nights when the darkness felt like it was suffocating. It crept into every pore and filled them with utter emptiness. Max, Michael and Isabel were walking in the middle of four guards that surrounded them as they slowly and soundlessly walked through the forest. Max's senses were sharp as he gazed into the darkness around him. The advantage of darkness was that it was good to hide in, but unfortunately it was also very effective in hiding enemies that could be lurking behind any of the trees.   
  
No sound escaped Michael. His ears and eyes were like that of a hunter. Even though the setting was unruly unnerving, it was the first time Michael had ever really felt content. This was what he was meant to do. This was when his powers became the most useful. He had never had any power that was special to him. Max had been able to heal. Isabel had been able to dreamwalk. And Michael had been able to blow things up. But so had Max and Isabel. He had never really had a power that was his own. They had always figured that it was because he had never gotten the chance to develop his powers as well as Max and Isabel and that was why his personal power hadn't shown itself yet. But now, walking in this foreign dark forest to a meeting with allies on an alien planet, he really knew why. He had never discovered any power specific to him because there had never been a situation on Earth that had demanded him to use those powers specific to him. They were all about hunting, about protection and about hiding. He noticed that he had no problem seeing through the darkness. His eyes almost worked like those of a cat. He could see better in the night than he could in the day. His hearing worked like that of a dog and he could hear even the faintest of sounds. That was why he, just seconds before Max slumped forward, could hear the buzzing sound erupting from Max's head.   
  
"Max?!" Isabel hissed as she watched her brother stumble, his hands immediately flying to cover his ears as if he were trying to block out a piercing sound. But the forest was completely soundless.   
"Max? What do you hear?" Michael whispered.   
Max stumbled over to a tree, his face contorted in pain.   
"It's them. They're here," Kira whispered to Michael.   
"What are they doing?" Michael hissed, as his eyes scanned the terrain surrounding them, trying to look for their hidden enemies.   
"They are making contact. They are probably verifying his true nature right now."   
"They can do that? Without touching him?" Isabel asked quietly, her fearful eyes moving over the dark tree trunks that suddenly seemed so much more menacing.   
"Yes," Kira answered. Just then, Max straightened up. As he looked up at his friends, his eyes were cloudy, but they quickly sharpened as he focused on the people around them.   
"They are over there," Max said, his voice strained as he pointed towards a point behind Michael. Michael swiftly turned around, his body tensing in apprehension. But he couldn't see anything.   
"Where?"   
  
He barely got the syllable out before he was on the ground, an invisible force holding him down.   
"There," Max answered and with Max's words they all watched the air shimmer in front of them. Out of the darkness contours started to take form, morphing into humanoid figures. But from their length and their composition it was clear that they were aliens.   
The man at the front of the group bowed his head lightly. "Your Majesty," he said in broken English.   
Max heard Michael grumble as he started to rise from his position on the ground.   
"My apologies for treating you that way, Rath," he continued, while straightening up which revealed his intense blue eyes which sparkled in the darkness, keeping a firm gaze on Max.   
"Yeah, well..." Michael huffed, feeling a bit offended that they had caught him off guard.   
"Mindwarp?" Max asked.   
"Yes," the man answered. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Your Majesty. I've heard a great deal about you."   
Max nodded. "What's your name?"   
"Aldonis."   
"Are you the leader?"   
"I am the leader of the Loyalists."   
Max ignored the curious looks from the men standing behind Aldonis. "How do we know that we can trust you?"   
  
"I have information you might be interested in," Aldonis said and Max watched to his amazement as a woman walked up beside the man. She was the only woman there. "This is Serena."   
"Your Majesty," Serena said, bowing her head. Her eyes were filled with awe as she straightened up and met Max's eyes. There was a flash of recognition in her eyes. And she knew. She recognized his eyes far too well.   
"I work at the palace. I think you would call me a spy," she began, her voice low and melodic. Max immediately felt some sort of faith in her. As if she were to be trusted. It was something in the way her eyes moved over his face and the way she held herself that told him that he could trust her. Max remained quiet and let her continue the story.   
"A couple of days ago I was assigned to work on a new case," Serena continued, "A very special case. They had brought in a human..." Her voice trailed off as she saw the emotion flicker through Max's eyes.   
"A human?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.   
"Yes," Serena answered, "A child... Your child."   
"Oh God," Max murmured. Was it possible that this woman had direct contact with his child? That she met his child on a daily basis. "How is she?"   
Serena met his eyes head-on. "Not good. She has become isolated and she's closing herself off."   
"But you meet her? Every day?" Max asked. The desperate need to have some hope to cling to was evident in his voice.   
"Yes," Serena answered.   
  
"Your Majesty-"   
"Please, call me Max," Max said, his eyes traveling to Aldonis.   
"Max," Aldonis corrected himself, "How can your child be human? And why isn't Ava with you?"   
Max sighed and anger flashed in his eyes. "Ava was a traitor. She died on Earth, by the hands she had so willingly served."   
"She turned to the enemies?" Aldonis asked, surprised.   
"Yes," Michael answered, "And she almost managed to kill Liz."   
Aldonis frowned in confusion. "Who's Liz?"   
"The mother of my child and the woman I love," Max answered, possessiveness flashing in his eyes.   
"Love..." Aldonis mused.   
"They are connected," Kira clarified.   
"But she's completely human?" Aldonis asked.   
"Yes," Max answered.   
"That's why," Serena said. "That's why I could connect so easily with your daughter even though she is human. Because of the connection you share with your monrè."   
  
"Monrè?" Isabel asked.   
"The one you connect with," Serena explained.   
"We don't have much time," Max interrupted, "I need to know if you are willing to help us get my daughter back."   
"Yes," Aldonis answered firmly.   
"Then let's get down to business," Max said.

TBC…


	47. Book 2 Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**   
  
  
Max quietly moved into the tent and waved the guard off, who silently left. A soft smile started to form on his lips as his eyes landed on her still form on the mattress on the floor. Pausing by the end of the mattress he discarded his jacket and carefully climbed onto the mattress, molding his body against hers. A peaceful feeling fell over him and he could feel his tense muscles relax.   
She stirred to life as she felt his arms fold around her. "Max?"   
Max placed a tender kiss on the side of her neck. "Yes, love."   
Liz turned in his arms so that they were facing each other. A sleepy smile claimed her lips as her gaze landed on his beautiful face and that she could with her own eyes see that he was unharmed.   
Max responded to her smile with one of his own. "Hi..."   
"Hi," she mumbled back.   
  
"You are so beautiful, have I ever told you that?" Max whispered, his fingers tracing a heated trail down the side of her face.   
"I believe you have," Liz said softly.   
"Well, that simple word doesn't even come close," Max said. Liz's eyes drifted closed as he started raining slow and warm kisses over every millimeter of her face.   
"I missed you," Liz whispered.   
"God, I missed you," Max said, his voice breaking somewhat with emotion. Liz's breath caught in her throat at the emotions she could feel from him tumbling over her. "I missed your calmness, your logic, your support, your love. I even missed your stubbornness."   
Liz opened her eyes and searched his face. "How did it go, Max?"   
Max smiled faintly and pressed a light kiss on her lips before he began to talk, "It won't be long now."   
Tears sprang up in Liz's eyes. "What?" she asked breathlessly, her heart slamming in her chest at the hopeful tone in his voice.   
"There was this woman at the meeting – Serena."   
"Serena," Liz mumbled. Images of Future Max telling her about how she one day would become friends with someone named Serena flashed through her mind.   
  
"Liz?"   
"I-" Liz searched Max's eyes, "She was the one to modify the Granolith into a time machine so that the future version of you could pass through.   
"Max stared at her. "Really?"   
Liz silently nodded.   
"She's been seeing Emma every day," Max said, holding Liz's gaze. The tears brimming in Liz's eyes spilled down her cheeks and Max's thumb gently brushed them away, his arm tightening around her waist. "She is working undercover at the palace where they are keeping Emma. She's supposed to try to get Emma to talk.   
The tears were flowing freely down Liz's cheeks now. "Is she- is she..."   
"She's okay. Unharmed," Max answered her unspoken question. "But she's lonely and she's scared."   
  
Liz sobbed and nodded before putting her arms around Max and pulling him close, seeking comfort in his warm embrace.   
"Who is...Is she to…to...be..."   
"She is to be trusted," Max answered quietly, holding her trembling body close, trying to fill the void inside of him. "She will take care of her. This is really good news, sweetheart. We have someone working on the inside."   
"Can we somehow...talk to her...contact her in some way?" Liz asked, trying to prevent her tears from falling.   
"Serena will try to work with Emma to help her open up the connection she has to you again. Serena thinks it has been damaged somehow."   
An immense feeling of relief floated through Liz. She couldn't be there for her daughter, but if someone she could trust, someone that Max trusted, was there with her, it was the next best thing. 

-------------------------------------------------------

  
  
Serena walked down the long familiar corridors. The walls were still made of glass around her. The guards were still as suspicious as before. The people were as subdued in their appearance as they had always been. But to Serena, everything had changed. She had stood face to face with the man whom she had sworn loyalty to since Khivar's men had invaded her home when she was just a little girl. She quickly shook the thoughts of her family away. She never let herself think about what had happened that night, when she had become an orphan in the blink of an eye. It was then that she had sworn to bring Khivar down even if she was killed in the process. She would avenge the deaths of her parents if it was the last thing she did.   
  
Khivar had a lot of blood on his hands. Millions of people had suffered horrible deaths because of one of his callous and cold orders. He considered the peasants as inferior creatures. The people who stood above them in the social hierarchy - the soldiers and the wealthy upper class - were allowed to do about anything to those poor people. Once, Serena had been one of them. She had been one of the peasants who had suffered pain under Khivar's reign.   
  
After King Zan died, the world had fallen apart. War had broken out amongst the people. Neighbors who had been friends since they were old enough to speak were suddenly arguing, betraying and even killing each other. It had not been difficult for Khivar to seize power. Antar had cried out for a strong hand to rule them. They were desperate. However, if they had known what they signed up for, they probably wouldn't have even looked at the paper. New regulations had been constructed to keep the people on a short leash. People were raped of their personal belongings, only allowed to own the basic necessities like water and bread. Everyone who tried to stand up to the new king was killed, often publicly, to make an example and teach others what would happen to law-breakers.   
  
Serena kept her eyes straight ahead of her, her face revealing nothing of the thoughts swirling in her head. She knew how dangerous it was to be doing what she was doing. If someone found out that she was one of the loyalists, she would be executed. No questions asked. It was vital to play her cards correctly. One slip up and it could cost her her life. But last night her mission had gotten even more dangerous, if possible. She was the only one working on Zan's side that had close contact with his heir. The heir was the purpose of Zan's return. Because even if no one had spoken it aloud, it was pretty clear that Zan was not here to free his people, he was here to bring his little girl back. Serena was still unsure of how to feel about that. They had fought long and hard, with a strong, albeit distant, hope in the back of their minds that Zan would eventually arrive and return order to the world. It had slipped out to the Loyalists that Zan, his sister, his commander and his wife had all been sent to another planet to be reborn. They had been sent with all the information they needed, which would be programmed into them as they were grown in pods. Nothing would have changed. They would wake and it would be as if nothing had ever happened. They would still remember Antar and everything that had happened there as if it was yesterday.   
  
But for some reason, Serena wasn't so sure that was the case. Something must have happened. Something must have interacted with the memory retrieval, distorting it. Somehow, Ava - Zan's bride - had turned against her own people and instead gave her loyalty to the enemy. And the man Serena had met yesterday hadn't been Zan. He hadn't looked like Zan, but for that Serena had been prepared. The rumors said that the DNA of the royal four had been mixed with human DNA. They looked human. That was part of the scientists' plan because then they would not stand out as different on earth, and they would not be immediately recognized as who they were when they returned to Antar. However, it was clearly not only their outsides that had changed. Their insides were different. They were more cautious. More fearful. More insecure. Not trained soldiers with years of experience. They were just kids. Serena was about the same age as Zan, but on Antar the children had to grow up fast. And now she was entrusted with Zan's child. Even if he weren't working to free them, Serena would do everything in her power to keep his child safe. She walked up to the guard purposefully as he squinted cautiously. He easily recognized who she was, but it was still possible that it was someone else disguised as her. Her essence still needed to be verified. Serena stepped up to the guard without a word, waiting patiently as the guard slowly let his hands hover over her body. The guard nodded, verifying her identity and Serena waited for him to let her enter. But when he didn't move, she frowned slightly.   
  
*Requesting permission to enter,* she said.   
*There is nothing to see in there,* the guard answered.   
Serena's frown deepened. What was he talking about? *I am here to meet with the little girl,* she clarified, taking a step closer to the entrance. The guard immediately stepped in front of her, blocking her way with his massive body.*I have clearance to meet with this girl,* Serena said, *Every day.*   
*She is not there,* the guard answered.   
Serena's heart skipped a beat. *She is not there?* She forced her voice to remain calm. It would not be good to betray the panic she felt rising up within her at the guard's words. She was not even supposed to have an emotional bond to the girl. *Has she been moved to another room?*   
*No,* the guard answered shortly, as though talking to a wall.   
Serena's face turned colder as she stared at the guard. *Was she taken outside.*   
*No.*   
*Where have they taken her?* Serena demanded, her voice rising.   
The guard stepped closer to her, his body looming over her slight frame. His face contorted in a menacing glare, and he spoke, coldly, *I am not permitted to discuss this. If you need answers, you will have to talk to the Livenders.*   
The Livenders? Serena's heart sank. This was not good. If she had to talk to the Livenders to get information, it meant that something big had been changed. She quickly turned on her heel and headed down the hall to find out what had happened to Emma. 

----------------------------------------------------

  
  
_She slowly lifted her head from the ground. It was pounding intensely, making every slight movement of her head amplify through her body, spreading all over. She could feel it most immensely behind the bone at the front of her skull. A pounding that was crying for attention just by the way it was effectively blocking out the capability to focus on anything else. __  
  
__There was someone talking. By its hoarseness, she concluded that they were whispering, but when the sounds passed through her eardrum, the pounding in her skull magnified it into loud cries. __  
__"Mommy!__ Mommy!" __  
__The first thing she noticed when she pried her eyes open was the blindingly intense light. It was so compact it was like someone had pointed flashlights directly into her eyes. __  
__"Mommy!!!" __  
__She forced herself up in sitting position and felt dizziness take control of her senses. Blinking repeatedly against the painful light, she slowly turned her head to take in her surroundings. However, the only result was an increase in her dizzy feelings. The floor was moving, swinging back and forth, and she had to support herself from falling by digging her nails into the floor. As her nails scraped against the hard surface, she looked down, feeling the world tip around her as she did, and noticed that the ground was made out of stone. White, blinding stone. __  
__"Mommy!!!" __  
__She had to get up. Her little girl was here somewhere and she needed her. She wanted to answer her, but she could hardly form any coherent thoughts, let alone could she form any words intelligible enough to be spoken. Her body felt like lead, but as her daughter's frightened voice echoed through the blinding light once again, it was as if an inhuman force was taking hold of her, and she struggled to her feet. __  
  
__Windows.__  
__Large windows were surrounding her. A long corridor stretched itself out in front of her. It was so long that she couldn't see the end of it as she squinted her eyes against the bright light seeping through the windows. __  
__"Mommy..." __  
__The voice of her little child once again bounced off the bare walls, and she started to move. __  
__"Mommy... heeelb!!" __  
__Her heart tightened and she fought back the burning tears. She was here. Her little girl was here somewhere. She had to find her. As she walked further down the corridor, she watched with mounting panic as doors - thousands of doors - rose along the sides. They hadn't been there before. __  
__Her legs stumbled with fatigue and the pounding grew worse. Her hand stretched out to steady herself. As her hand touched one of the doors a strong current went through her body and she felt herself fly through the air. She landed hard, the back of her head hitting the hard floor. Nausea overwhelmed her and the light gradually began to lose its brightness. __  
  
__"Mommy..." __  
__And just as the darkness was at its darkest and was slowly eating away all the traces of consciousness, she felt something graze her forehead. Lightly. Softly. __  
__"Mommy, wake ub..." __  
__"Baby?" she croaked, her voice suddenly returning to her. The dizziness and pounding that had earlier occupied her tired brain slowly dissipated. __  
__"I's scwared." __  
__She slowly pried her eyelids up and her heart stopped in her chest. Hovering over her was her beautiful daughter's face. __  
__"Emma?" she croaked, hopefully. __  
__The small child fingers continued tracing her forehead. "I don't wanna be wif the bad men anymore." __  
__"Oh my God," Liz whispered and sat up, her eyes never leaving Emma's face for a second. She didn't even dare to blink. She quickly wrapped her arms around Emma's tiny frame. Tears streamed down her face as she held on to her tightly, never intending to let go. __  
__"Emma, honey.__ Are you okay?" Liz sobbed, pulling back to search Emma's face. She stroke the dark curls away from the girl's face and brushed the tears away from her cheeks. __  
__"I wanna go home now," Emma whispered and her bottom lip started to tremble. __  
__"We are going home, baby," Liz promised, with all her heart. If it was the last thing she did, it would be to keep that promise. __  
  
__"Is we going home now?" Emma asked, a twinkle of hope in her eyes. __  
__Liz's throat constricted with sorrow. "Soon, baby." __  
__Emma's face crumbled and she started to cry. "I want to go home now. I don't like it here." __  
__Liz took her in her arms and pressed her tightly against her. "I know, honey. I know," she sobbed. __  
__The silence surrounding them was suddenly broken and Liz fearfully looked up to see two men in dark blue uniforms walking towards them. __  
__"No," Liz whispered. "No, no, no!" __  
__She quickly scrambled to her feet, pulling Emma with her. Emma's arms tightened around Liz's neck and she buried her tear-stained face against Liz's chest. __  
__"Don't let 'em take me, don't let 'em take me," she pleaded frantically. __  
__Liz tightened her arms around her little girl, turned and ran. She had never run as fast before. The ground was hard against her bare feet. There was no wind. No sound. Only the stomping feet of the men behind them. __  
  
__The floor started to tilt and she stumbled. __  
__"No," she mumbled agonizingly as she fought to regain her footing. She recovered her balance and continued running but there was no end to the corridor. No hiding places. Her hand let go off Emma's dark hair and started the never-ending task of trying to get one of the closed doors open. But they wouldn't open. They were all locked. And before her eyes she could see the doors further down the corridor sink into the walls. Disappearing. __  
__"Please, don't..." she sobbed, both to the hopeless situation and to the men chasing them. __  
  
__Her legs kept moving, but fatigue was coursing through her now, weakening her, and she knew that it was only a matter of seconds before she would fall. She shifted Emma's weight onto her other hip. __  
__"They're coming, mommy. The bad men. They're coming," Emma cried. __  
__And Liz fell to her knees. Her legs couldn't sustain their combined weight any longer. She took a strong hold of Emma and pulled her towards one of the walls. She didn't dare to look around them. She didn't want to know if the men were still following, or how close they were. She curled up against the wall and pulled Emma up in her lap. Wrapping her arms around her daughter she buried her face in her hair and tried to shield her as much as she possibly could from the horrors threatening them. __  
__"I'm sorry, Em. I'm so sorry," she sobbed into her hair. Emma's small hand clutched the hem of her shirt, her small body trembling with fear. "I love you. I love you so much. Daddy loves you so much. And we are going to come for you." __  
__"Don't give me away. Don't leave me here," Emma cried. __  
__"We are coming to get you. We will soon be together again," Liz whispered. __  
__"I's swcared." __  
__"We are here, baby. We will come for y- Nooooo!!!" __  
__Emma was ripped out of her arms. "MOMMMMYYY!!!   
  
"_Liz! Honey, wake up. Wake up."   
Liz bolted upright in the bed, looking around herself frantically. "Emma? Emma?!!"   
"She's not here, sweetheart," the voice beside her said softly, guiltily.   
She turned her head and her eyes adjusted to the darkness and focused on the person beside her.   
"Emma," she whispered brokenly, lost.   
His warm and comforting arms surrounded her, but they couldn't give her any comfort tonight. She felt cold and hollow. Like she had lost her little girl all over again. 

--------------------------------------------------

  
  
Max eyes traveled over her curled up body. She was curled up against his side, her arms and hands tucked between the side of his chest and her stomach. Her hair was spread out loosely over her back, in stark contrast with the deep frown on her forehead. He lifted his hand and softly traced the crease with his finger. She had been crying all night, finally falling asleep due to exhaustion early in the morning. Even in her sleep, he could see the tension in her body. And her sleep was troubled. She was whimpering and sobbing. Crying out the name of their daughter. Even though she had been too upset to tell him what she had dreamt, he knew that it had been about Emma, and it had been something that had shaken her to the core.   
  
His hand followed the side of her face, down her cheeks. She had lost a lot of weight since they had arrived on Antar. Since Emma had disappeared. Her spirit was tired. He could feel it. He could feel how she was struggling every day to move on, to keep her head up and not break down. He wanted to help her. He wanted to shoulder some of her burden, even if he already carried the same burden himself. He would do anything to ease that troublesome wrinkle from her face.   
  
His finger traveled down the curve of her neck, unable to stop himself from relishing in the soft feeling of her delicate skin. Sometimes he would stop and think about how lucky he was to have her in his life. He had almost lost hope when she had disappeared. When he had thought that she had died. But now she was here, lying beside him. The love of his life, curled up next to him. He felt a sting of sadness in his heart when his thoughts fled to their beautiful daughter, the person who was missing from their life, preventing it from being perfect. He had always known that revealing himself to Liz all those years ago would be dangerous; not only to himself, Michael and Isabel, but to Liz as well. He had always watched her from afar like a dream he could never reach. And when she had accepted him, _loved_ him, danger had crept back into his life. He had tried so hard to push her away. To make her stay away, because he knew that there were so many things she would have to give up to be with him.   
  
A small smile grazed his lips. His hand caught one of her dark silk strands in his hand and he let them caress his fingertips. She hadn't let him push her away. She hadn't let him give up on _them_. She was a stubborn woman, but he thanked his lucky stars every day for it, because if she hadn't been so stubborn about showing him how much she loved him and that they belonged together, he would have been miserable right now. Miserable and alone.   
  
His eyes jerked to her face as a vulnerable whimper escaped her lips and he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. She snuggled up to him, holding on to him as she always did. Seeking strength from him, as he did from her. They were really incomplete without each other. Unable to function separately. Unrestrained, his thoughts traveled to Emma, their special little girl. So smart, happy and carefree. But only before he came into her life. Just being her father had caused her problems and now someone had taken her. He had failed to protect her. Failed to keep his little girl safe and Liz happy.   
  
He missed her. He missed Emma terribly. He hadn't gotten the chance to really get to know her, but in the short time period he had been with her he had fallen in love with that innocence, that happiness. Emma was so much like he remembered Liz to be when she was younger. When he had watched her playing on the playground with Maria. She had been so happy then. She had been happy all the time. She had been happy on that fateful day in the CrashDown. But after that she hadn't been happy. Not like she was before. She was weighed down by his secret. And he had never wanted to burden her with it.   
  
"Max..."   
Her soft voice broke him out of his self-blame and his attention immediately focused on her beautiful, albeit tired, face.   
"Hey," he said softly and lightly moved some errand strands away from her forehead, "How are you feeling?"   
"Please don't blame yourself," Liz said slowly, her dark eyes meeting his.   
"I wasn't," Max said lightly. But he was already kicking himself for letting his feelings get the upper hand. Sometimes he forget how closely connected he was with Liz. She had enough to deal with with her own feelings right now, she really didn't need his too.   
"Max," Liz said, the warning clear in her voice.   
"I'm sorry, love," Max said, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead.   
Her eyes were closed as he pulled back and directed his eyes back to her face.   
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.   
  
Without opening her eyes, she slowly shook her head and emitted a tired sigh.   
"You should get some more sleep," Max said.   
She nodded and her body relaxed some, sagging into him. Her breathing evened out and Max laid back, intending to close his eyes when her voice reached his ears.   
"Just five more minutes," she said, her voice sounding so defeated he felt his heart crush under the weight of her feelings of anguish ripping through the connection. "We don't have time to sleep..."   
"Five more minutes," Max said, fighting against the tears burning behind his eyelids, and his arm tightened around her, pulling her even closer. 

----------------------------------------------------

  
  
*I need to talk to His Majesty,* Serena insisted.   
*His Majesty is still asleep,* the soldier replied, standing his ground.   
*This is urgent. If I cannot speak to His Majesty, at least let me speak to Rath,* she persisted.   
"What's going on?" a voice interrupted, just as the soldier was about to answer Serena.   
Both Serena and the soldier turned their heads to see Michael moving up to them. Serena visibly relaxed.   
"Rath," she said and slightly bowed her head.   
Michael raised his eyebrows at her manners. "Michael," he corrected. "It's Michael."   
"Michael," Serena said, her stoic stance softening some.   
"So, Serena was it?" Michael asked, stepping closer.   
"Yes, sir," Serena nodded.   
Michael dismissed her courtesy with a wave of his hand. "What do you want?"   
"I need to see His Majesty," Serena said.   
"He's asleep," Michael said.   
  
Serena restrained a frustrated sigh. It was of high importance that she got to speak with Zan.   
"But you can tell me and I'll inform Max," Michael said when he saw the disappointment flash over her face.   
"I apologize, but I can not do that," Serena said.   
Michael frowned.   
"I'm Max's second in command. If he is not available, you speak through me."   
"I need to speak to His Majesty directly," Serena said.   
"Look," Michael's irritation was increasing by the second, "Liz had a rough night and Max has been up all night worrying about her. They both need to sleep to regain their strength."   
"I understand that," Serena said, her voice softening at the fierce protectiveness she could trace in Michael's voice. "But this is about the princess."   
"The princess?" Michael's confusion was apparent. But only a fraction after he had asked the question, it struck him what she meant. "You mean Emma? What about Emma? Has something happened?"   
Serena nodded. "Yes, sir. This is what I need to discuss with His Majesty."   
Serena yelped in surprise as Michael took a hold of her elbow and pulled her with him. "Come here." 

---------------------------------------------------

  
  
Serena was patiently waiting where Michael had left her, a couple of feet outside Max and Liz's tent. Even though it was still early morning, the area was already buzzing with life. Soldiers were up, either standing guard on the fringes of the camp, or eating and talking amongst themselves. It was clear that His Majesty and his friends were safe here. At least, as safe as they could be in the precarious situation they were in. Kira had trained his men well and they all seemed focused on what they were doing.   
  
"Serena."   
Serena snapped out of her thoughts and saw Max stepping out from the tent. He looked tired. She hadn't been able to really see him when they had first met. It had been too dark. But here, at the dawn of a newborn day, she was able to see all the signs of fatigue on his face. Some she was sure had been there for a long time. She had a feeling he was someone who took a lot on his own shoulders, someone who felt responsible for everyone around him. And it seemed as if it was slowly wearing him down.   
  
Serena's eyes traveled to the small figure standing next to Max. She was immediately taken aback by the similarity between that woman and the little girl she had been observing over the last week. The woman looked tired and she wore the same signs of worry as Max did. But it was her eyes that instantly won Serena's respect. It wasn't the strong similarity to Emma's eyes, but the strength and determination in them. The woman's body looked weak, small and worn out, but it was only a facade. The woman had a strong soul and it was shining clearly in her eyes. Serena's gaze fell on their entwined hands and she had no problem at all understanding why Max would choose her as his mate. She was strong. She held her head high, even though she had every cause to break down.   
Serena bowed her head. One time for Max and one for the woman standing so close to him that they almost looked like one.   
  
"His Majesty," she said. "My Lady."   
"Please," Max said. Serena raised her head to see his reassuring smile. "You don't have to do that."   
Serena nodded in compliance. She could feel the curious and interested glances the woman was giving her.   
"Honey, this is Serena," Max said, "Serena, this is Liz."   
"It's nice to meet you," Liz said and stepped forward, holding out her hand for Serena. Serena looked at it, wondering what she wanted her to do with it.   
Liz smiled warmly at her confusion and then stepped up to the woman and gave her a hug. Serena was so surprised she completely lost her tongue. She just stood there, feeling the woman hug her.   
Liz pulled back and Serena noticed that she had not let go off Max's hand, not even when she hugged her.   
  
"Nice to meet you too, milady," Serena said slowly, still taken aback.   
Liz looked up at Max and Serena saw mutual understanding flashing in their faces. As if they had just agreed upon something.   
"Let's sit," Max said, gesturing towards some trunks of trees positioned on the ground.   
"Thank you, sir," Serena said and sat down.   
Max and Liz shared an amused expression and sat down across from Serena.   
"Max told me..." Liz started, but choked on her words. Max squeezed her hand and Serena watched her lean close to him, as if drawing strength from him. "Max told me that you have contact with Emma."   
Serena nodded and Liz took a shaky breath. "How...how is she? Is she okay?"   
Serena dropped her eyes. She couldn't handle this. Liz's feelings were so strong, she could sense them rippling through the air. The anguish, the sorrow, the fear, it was all coursing through her in violent waves.   
"Serena," she heard Max say and she looked up into his apprehensive face. "Has something happened?"   
Serena took a deep breath. They seemed like such wonderful people. They really didn't need to hear this. But she had to tell them.   
  
"Serena?" Liz whispered, fearing the worst.   
"There has been a development since our last meeting," Serena said slowly.   
"What is it?" Max asked with a fearful note in his voice.   
Serena looked up into Liz's eyes and saw the tears of fear roll down her cheeks.   
"Please, Serena," Liz said. "What have they done?"   
"Khivar wants the royal seal," Serena said, not sure of how much they knew.   
"Yes, we know that," Max said, remembering one of the many things Kira had taught them during the voyage to Antar.   
"Your seal is shared with the one you mate with," Serena continued, "which means that Liz has the royal seal too."   
Max nodded. He knew this already. He could feel Liz tensing beside him, as if preparing for the worst.   
"Your seal is transferred to your heir, your first born. Emma," Serena said slowly, "And Khivar wants the seal. He has Emma."   
  
Serena knew the exact second it dawned on Liz what she was trying to say. The fear Serena saw on Liz's face was enough to make her want to break down and cry.   
"I was to visit Emma yesterday, but she wasn't there."   
"Where was she?" Liz whispered, although she already suspected. "Where was she?" she sobbed.   
"They had taken her to... I guess you would call it a laboratory."   
"No," Max whispered, and as he felt Liz sag against him, his voice took on another strength. "No!"   
"They are trying to find a way to remove the seal from Emma and transfer it to Khivar. And if they succeed... They will have no use for Emma any longer, except for maybe a way to make you comply to their wishes."   
"The seal is incorporated into her DNA," Liz whispered, her voice cracking with restrained tears. "How are they going to be able to remove it?"   
  
But they all knew the answer to that question. By taking her apart. By going through each and every one of her cells and removing that part of her DNA.   
Serena looked at the devastated and fearful faces of that little child's parents and said, "If we don't do something quickly they might kill her."

TBC…


	48. Book 2 Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**   
  
_Two days later_   
  
"Liz, are you okay?" Isabel asked for the seventh time.   
Liz swallowed back the nausea rising in her throat and forced herself to nod. "Yes," she said hoarsely. "I'm just fine."   
She could feel Isabel's eyes regarding her with disbelief. Isabel didn't believe her and truth be told, she didn't believe it herself either. She had tried to not acknowledge the nausea and the dizzy spells, but they were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Fear was building inside of her that her previous condition had returned. When she had been so sick that she had barely been able to get through the day. Before Max and she made love and the connection opened again.   
  
She forcefully forced the overwhelming nausea down. She couldn't get sick. Not now.   
"Liz," Isabel said, the warning note to her tone making Liz look up at her, "I promised Max to make sure you were safe. And you getting sick isn't going to make him any happier. Don't try to fool me. I can see that something is wrong."   
Liz met Isabel's gaze head on. "It's nothing. I'm just worried about Max." Her eyes dropped and she added quietly, "And Emma."   
  
"Liz, I'm sorry," Isabel said regretfully, "I didn't mean to...You just look so pale. Maybe you should sit down for a second."   
"Isabel," Liz said firmly, "Stop it, okay? I appreciate that you are trying to look out for me and all, but fussing over me is not your highest priority-"   
"According to Max it is," Isabel interrupted.   
"Well, Max isn't here right now, is he? Besides, we both know that even though Max would never admit it, he needs help. I cannot leave him to fight for himself."   
Isabel shook her head, the determination in Liz's eyes scaring her. "Liz... You aren't thinking about-"   
Liz turned away from looking through the bushes and met Isabel's anxious eyes. "Max wants me to stay away because that's the only way he can keep me safe. And I would comply with his wishes, if it weren't for the fact that he is risking _his_ life out there! How can I just sit here and wait to see if he makes it back alive or not, when he wouldn't be able to do the same thing if it were me out there? And you... You have valuable powers, Isabel. We can help him. He needs all the help he can get."   
Isabel looked at her with a mixture of fear and trepidation. "Liz, we can't do this! I know that Max probably needs more help than he admits, but we are not prepared to get out there-"   
"We aren't just going to run out in the middle of everything," Liz said, "We are going to stay in the shadows and if they need our help, we will be there. If they are handling it on their own, we just stay away..."   
  
Isabel shook her head slowly. "I think this is a really bad idea, Liz."   
Liz surprised her by stepping up to her and taking both her hands in hers. "Iz, please," she pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion. "I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."   
"How do you...?" Isabel stuttered.   
"I just know," Liz said, her teary and fearful eyes hitting something deep within Isabel. There was something about Liz in that moment that told Isabel that it was in fact a question of life and death if she listened to Liz or not.   
"Did you have a premonition?" Isabel asked, thinking back to the time when Liz had ended up almost dying in the bathroom of that warehouse because she'd had a vision of the future.   
  
A future filled with death.   
  
"No, I can't explain it. It's a… feeling," Liz said slowly.   
Isabel regarded her closely before answering her with a whisper, "Okay." She desperately hoped that she wasn't going to regret her decision.   
"Thank you," Liz whispered.   
Isabel nodded and pushed some errant wisps of her blonde hair behind her ears. "Okay, we need a plan." 

----------------------------------------------------------

  
  
_*You okay?* __  
__*Yes. How many are there?* __  
__*Twenty, thirty.* __  
__Pause. __  
__*That's a lot.* __  
__*Serena, we can make this. We have been preparing for this all our lives.* __  
__*This is really it, isn't it?* __  
__*Yes.* __  
__*Then why does it feel like something is about to go terribly wrong?* __  
__*Nothing's going to go wrong. We are prepared for this. We have trained for every possible scenario. Just stay levelheaded and calm.* __  
__*Right.* __  
__*And no telepathic communication from now on.* __  
__*Got it.* __  
__*Serena...* __  
__*What is it, Aldonis?* __  
__*Be careful.* __  
__Pause. __  
__*I will. Besides, we still have that house to build, remember?* __  
__She could hear the smile on his voice as he answered, *Nothing could make me forget.* __  
__*I can see His Highness now.* __  
__*All right. This is it. Rena, see you later.* __  
__*Yes...*_   
  
Serena turned around to see Max walking towards her, his steps cautious and as silent as they could be against the stone ground.   
"Ready?" she asked somewhat breathlessly.   
"Where's Emma?" Max asked in a hushed tone as he came closer.   
Serena pointed towards one of the windows in the large building towering up in front of them. "In there. At least, that's where she was the last time I met her."   
"What if they've moved her," Max asked.   
"Then we have a problem," Serena watched Max's face fall slightly, even if he was trying very hard to hide the fear, and she hurried to reassure him, "But, not too big of a problem. We just have to change the plans slightly. It will take some more time. We would have to find her new location. But we'll manage. According to the schedule I was informed of, she should be in her room tonight."   
A shadow fell over Max's face. "Have you met her since they took her to the laboratory?"   
Serena shook her head in negative. "There has been no time."   
She didn't want to tell Max her suspicions about Emma's condition. She hadn't told Max how Emma had been _before_ she had been taken for "examination" and she was truly afraid of what had happened to Emma's fragile mental state after that visit.   
  
She didn't want to upset Max any further. He needed to remain focused on what they were doing. In any other case, she and Aldonis would never let anyone as close emotionally tied to a victim as Max was be the main decision-maker, because it was risky. There were too many emotions in play to keep a clear and focused head. But Max had made it impossible for them to deny his involvement. Also, he had shown that he had the capability to bury his emotions and focus solely on the task at hand. However, even though he seemed stable enough, on the outside, there wasn't room to take the risk of saying anything that could ruin that balance. Everything hung on a thin thread now. Every small detail had to be followed to the letter, or else everything could collapse. There were too many ears listening. Too many eyes looking. Not even their thoughts were secret, if they stood too close to people who were able to read brainwaves. Max, Liz, Michael and Isabel had all been trained to block their thoughts, but if they got close to someone who used their interpretation of brainwaves professionally, they would be in danger because Langolists, as they were called, were very efficient at spotting Antarians who were disloyal in their thoughts to their King. Disloyal to Khivar's reign.   
  
"Twenty minutes?" Max asked.   
Serena nodded. "Twenty minutes."   
Max took a deep breath as he let his eyes momentarily drift close. Soon.   
Soon he might be able to hold Emma in his arms again. Soon he might be able to take her home. To Liz.   
"Your High- Max," Serena corrected herself, "Are you all right?"   
Max opened his eyes as he nodded and answered with fierce determination, "Yes."   
His fists clenched as he looked up on the large building. He was so close, yet so far away from his daughter.   
"Let's go over the plan again," he said, pushing his emotions back to the back of his head and with a snap he shut the low simmering connection to Liz. 

--------------------------------------------------------

  
  
Liz stumbled as she felt the connection with Max die. It wasn't gradually. It was like a door was slammed shut in her mind.   
"Liz?"   
Isabel had stopped beside her and her hand was resting on Liz's arm.   
"Max..." Liz whispered.   
"What?" Isabel asked, her voice filling with dread at Liz's pained whisper.   
"He's...he shut me out," Liz said.   
"What?"   
"The connection. He's blocking me."   
"You sure?" Isabel asked. Somehow she had trouble believing that. "Why would he do that?"   
Liz stood still, barely breathing as she tried to find Max. Tried to push through his block.   
"Has something happened to him?" Isabel voiced her fears when Liz didn't say anything.   
"He's... " Liz stuttered. He wouldn't shut her out like this. Why had he shut her out?   
"Has he told you that he would do that?" Isabel asked, even though she already knew the answer, because otherwise Liz's reaction would make no sense.   
Liz took a hold of Isabel's arm and started to pull at her. "Let's go."   
"No, let's stay calm," Isabel said.   
Liz looked at her firmly. "I _am_ calm, but I need to know what's going on. We need to find Kira."   
"Liz..."   
"Isabel," Liz said seriously, "If something happened to Max I would know. But I don't want to feel that. Ever. I have to know that everything's okay."   
"You cannot see Max," Isabel said.   
"I understand that. That's why I need to see Kira. He has the information I need."   
"Okay," Isabel agreed, somewhat reluctantly. She had a suspicion why Max would block his connection to Liz. Because if something _did_ happen to him, he didn't want her to feel it. He didn't want her to live through his death if it came to that. Isabel was pretty sure that Liz knew this too and that Liz wasn't going to allow it. 

--------------------------------------------------

  
  
Max coughed as he staggered through the thick mist of raspy smoke. His arm bumped into someone and he immediately raised his hand to defend himself.   
"Michael?" He let out a sigh of relief when he found the person he had just bumped into to be his life long friend.   
"Maxwell, are you okay?"   
"Yeah," Max coughed again. Michael rubbed some of the black soot from his face and eyes.   
"Where's Serena?"   
"I lost her," Max said. "You have any other men here?"   
Michael shook his head.   
Max looked around him with hasty movements, trying to see anything through the smoke.   
"I would try to make the smoke disappear, but that would only exhaust my powers even more," Michael said, voicing Max's exact thoughts. Max wasn't sure when his healing powers might be needed. He had already healed two small wounds on two of their men and healing took a lot of energy. Four hours had passed since the fight had started. The building where Emma was being held was filled with smoke and Max feared that the source of the smoke would be a fire somewhere. He had to get Emma out of here. He could feel the situation quickly slipping out of his control.   
  
"Have you seen any of Khivar's men?" Max asked.   
"No," Michael answered, "It's like they've vanished."   
This is not good, was Max's immediate thought.   
"What do you think they're up to?" Michael asked, voicing Max's concerns.   
"I don't know," Max answered, constantly scanning the area around him in a almost fruitless attempt to see through the curtain of smoke surrounding them on all sides. "But Khivar's men are well-trained and many more in numbers than we are. We couldn't possibly have defeated them already."   
"Exactly," Michael murmured.   
"We have to get Emma," Max said.   
"You know where she is?" Michael asked.   
"Serena was going to show me the way, but she showed me which window belonged to her from the outside. I think maybe I can find my way."   
"In this smoke?" Michael asked. He didn't want to shatter Max's hopes, but from where he was standing, the situation seemed hopeless.   
  
"Are you with me or not?" Max asked, almost sternly. Michael immediately recognized the look on Max's face and nodded mutely.   
"Let's get your girl back," he said.   
Max felt his heart constrict at the protectiveness he heard in Michael's voice and the need to reopen the connection to Liz and again feel her calmness and reassurance overwhelmed him for a second. But he refused to give in to it. It was safer for Liz if he didn't have the connection open. If someone would be able to plug in on their connection, they would not only discover Max's identity, but also Liz's and what she meant to him. And that would put her in immense danger.   
  
Together, Max and Michael blindly headed down the smoke-filled corridor. Max's hands flew over doors on the sides, trying to feel something. An energy and essence belonging to Emma. If he had the connection to Liz, he might've been able to use the connection she had to Emma to find Emma. But the risk of opening the connection was too great. He would only consider opening it if there were an emergency. That's when he felt it. A soft tickling in his fingertips as his fingers brushed over one of the closed doors.   
  
"Michael!" he cried.   
In an instant, Michael was by his side.   
"Here," Max said, and without any further communication, Max and Michael fused their powers together to work on opening the highly secured door. It proved to be more difficult than they thought, but suddenly the door slide to the side and blinding white light hit their eyes.   
They both squinted in the sudden brightness, Michael putting up a hand to shield his eyes from the light.   
"Emma?" Max asked, not even stopping when the light had tried to immobilize him. It took some time for his eyes to become accustomed to the different light, but he didn't let the temporary blindness hamper his search.   
"Emma?!" He pushed the bed to the side and his heart lurched up into his throat.   
  
On the floor lay a ball of fragile limbs. Her dark hair was shielding her face, but because of the stark light, it was not difficult to see her trembling from where he was standing. Max's inhaled sharply and then quickly walked up to her, sliding to his knees beside her small frame.   
"Emma?" he whispered.   
She didn't answer. Didn't even acknowledge his presence. The relief and joy of finally finding her again was quickly being replaced with fear over what had happened to her.   
"Baby, it's daddy," Max said softly. He vaguely registered that Michael had knelt beside him. Max reached out with his hand to brush her hair away from her face so that he could see her. His hand quickly recoiled when she jerked back from his touch.   
"Max," Michael said impatiently.   
Max's hand was hovering above his daughter's body and he was already on the verge of trying to form a connection with her to see if she had been hurt. Michael seemed to have sensed his intentions before Max was even aware of them.   
"Max, we don't have time. We have to get out of here. There might be a fire."   
  
Michael's voice broke through the mental bubble Max had formed around him and his daughter. It was words of reason and Max knew that they had to keep going. Taking a deep breath he brought his hand back to Emma's white face. This time her reaction was not as strong, but still it cut through Max's heart to see her recoil from his touch the way she did. Like he was a monster.   
"Baby, it's going to be all right now. We are going home. To mommy."   
Not even the mention of her mother stirred a reaction in Emma and Max could feel the dread expand in his heart.   
"Max," Michael said and there was a desperate urgency in his voice, which snapped Max back into focus.   
He tucked his hands under Emma's thin body and lifted her up. She was stiff in her arms, but she didn't struggle. It was as if she didn't even care what happened to her. He cradled her close to his chest, feeling tears burning in his eyes as her familiar scent flared around him.   
"Blanket," Michael said, and Max automatically accepted the blanket Michael handed him and wrapped it around Emma's stiff body.   
"Let's get out of here," Max said. With Emma safely tucked under his chin, her legs hanging loosely against his hips, he and Michael hurried out of the white prison that had been Emma's hell for two weeks. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"Let me take her," Serena said as Max came running through the darkness. It was pitch dark outside. Not even the light from the planet Xerios could be seen.   
"I've got her," Max said. His breathing was strained and he really needed to sit down for a second, but he wasn't ready to let Emma go. She had been unresponsive ever since he found her and that frightened him. He didn't think handing her over to someone else was going to help the situation. Besides, it felt safer if he knew where she was. In his arms.   
"Where have you been?" Max demanded as he got closer to Serena.   
"There were some of Khivar's men," Serena said shortly, her focus still on the stiff bundle in Max's arms, "Let me take her."   
Even in the dark darkness, she could see his arms reflexively spasms as he tightened his hold on the little girl.   
  
"There are some men coming up on the east side. We need to get you out of here." Serena looked at Max and reached out with her arms, hoping that he might understand that it would be for the best if she took Emma.   
"You are tired and you need to recuperate all you can," Serena added, "If something unexpected were to happen..."   
Max quickly thought over the situation. Emma was like a dead-weight in his arms, but still she weighed hardly anything, so it would be no difference in that way if he carried her or not. The difference would be that he had his hands free if something _did_ happen. But then, if he handed Emma over to someone else he wouldn't be able to keep track of where she was.   
Serena could see the hesitation flicker over Max's face and she worriedly glanced over her shoulder. The air was filled with agonized screams and the dull sound of energy hitting bodies. Other than that, the wind was holding its breath. It was as if the wind and the light from the Xerios had abandoned them in their fight. Pulling away to a safe place.   
  
"Give her to someone you would trust with your life," Max said as he made his decision and reluctantly handed the little girl over to Serena. Emma didn't say a word during the transfer. She didn't even move.   
"Of course," Serena said, and drew a sigh of relief.   
She turned around and said something in Antarian to the person standing next to her. In no time another person appeared and Serena handed Emma over, marking the transfer with more unintelligible words. The recipient nodded and then they were gone. Max had to take a deep breath to will his emotions down over not being able to see Emma more. She was going to some place safe. She was going to some place safe.   
"What's going on?" Max asked Serena, his role shifting from protective father to focused warrior in the fraction of a second.   
"Khivar's men are advancing. They were hiding, but some have been spotted. I think they are planning an attack."   
Max nodded and Serena stepped closer to him, her eyes catching his. "Max, this is it."   
Max clenched his jaw and nodded. This was finally it. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"They have her," Kira said to her left.   
Liz felt her knees go out under her and she sagged against Isabel who caught her.   
"Liz?"   
Liz tried to take deep breath. They had found her. Her baby girl was back in the right hands. The world started to slowly spin, the nausea doubling.   
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Liz reassured breathlessly.   
She felt Kira take a hold of her other arm and trying to get her back up on the feet which were very reluctant in sustaining her weight. She rather felt than saw the concerned looks between Kira and Isabel over her head.   
"Where are they?" Liz asked.   
"Emma has been taken towards one of the emergency camps. Max is out there."   
Liz raised her head and followed the line to where Kira was pointing. Out there in the middle of the battle field. She closed her eyes and tried to draw strength from taking deep and slow breaths. She could feel the dizziness simmer down and the nausea calming. With some effort she straightened her spine and lifted her head.   
  
"How much closer can we safely get?" she asked.   
Kira frowned and cast a worried glance in Isabel's direction.   
"It is better if we stay he-"   
"How much closer can we get?" Liz interrupted, her tone forceful.   
"Liz, we shouldn't get any closer," Isabel said behind Liz. But Liz wasn't listening. The voice of cold foreboding which had settled in every part of her body was still whispering of death. She had to get to Max. That was all she knew. Somehow she had to get to Max.   
"How close?" she asked again, through gritted teeth.   
"Pretty close," Kira answered. "You would be able to see him."   
Liz nodded. "Take me there."   
"Liz, if Max finds out he's going to kill me," Isabel said.   
"If I don't go there, Max is going to die," Liz said and felt a shiver pass through her body as she finally spoke the words aloud.   
Kira nodded and turned towards his communicator, speaking through it in Antarian.   
"What did you say?" Isabel asked as he stopped.   
"I called for reinforcement. If we are going to move Max's mate closer to a war zone, we need higher security."   
Isabel relaxed some. She was afraid that Liz was going to get hurt due to her stubbornness. But it had always been like that when it came to Max and Liz. They couldn't stand to be apart and they wouldn't be able to survive if the other died. 

------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
The air was filled with death. The malice and coldness of death reeked through the bodies that had caught fire, where the smell of burning flesh filled the air. It reeked through the screams of death and the deadly stares of the people crawling over the cold ground with death rattles whispering over their parched lips.   
  
It was like she was suddenly in the middle of a nightmare. Her eyes still tried to accustom themselves to the darkness, as she fervently searched the battered bodies after Max. Her focus was on the living people, fighting further away, but her eyes couldn't stop from wandering over the masses of dead people she had to walk over to get forward. Instinctively, she knew that she would be able to feel if something happened to Max, but still she couldn't stop herself from looking everywhere for him.   
  
She came to a sudden halt as a hand snaked around her arm and pulled at her to stop. With a look of bewilderment on her face she turned to see what was going on. Kira had his hand tightened around her upper arm, his fingers digging into her flesh. When she met his eyes she knew that something was wrong. Her heart slowed down in her chest until it almost came to a halt as she waited for Kira to say something. He brought up the small communication device, a round apparatus similar to a stone, to his mouth and some Antarian words were transmitted through the device.   
"What?" Liz asked fearfully, even though Kira was still talking in the communicator.   
Kira lowered the communicator and held her eyes. "Khivar has been spotted. He's headed right towards Max and Serena."   
  
And her heart came back to life with a violent slam. It sped up and started beating erratically in her chest. Khivar. She had heard so much of Khivar in the last couple of days, none of it good. What had scared her the most were the stories about his immense skills. He was a powerful person who could do almost everything. She also quite vividly remember how Kira had informed Max to stay away from Khivar for as long as possible and let the others who were more secure in their abilities take care of Khivar. She also remembered that Kira had said that if Max would stand face to face with Khivar, Max would probably not survive.   
  
And now Khivar was heading towards Max.   
  
Liz watched the battle playing out in front of her, black coldness seeping into her every cell. Something was about to happen. She knew so with an ice-cold certainty. Just as another dizzy spell hit her and she had to struggle not to pass out by the intensity of it, she felt something shift in the air. Like something pulled energy from around her. Sucked the magnetism out of the air. Her eyes automatically traveled to the black figure that she without the shadow of a doubt knew was Khivar. She didn't know how she knew. Maybe it was the way he moved or the way he dressed. Or maybe it was the almost unnatural great power surrounding him like a force field.   
  
It wasn't difficult to figure out that Khivar's power was directed at Max and Serena.   
"Max," Liz whisper. Because she could see that Max and Serena had yet to turn their heads and discover the threat. Khivar had moved up from behind them and Liz couldn't see any of their men close by. Some had discovered Khivar and reported it to Kira, but it appeared as if everyone was at least at the same distance as Liz was, or they were involved in their own fight with Khivar's men. Liz knew, at the pit of her stomach, that by the time Max and Serena would be warned it would be too late.   
  
Isabel cried out Liz's name in a loud hiss when Liz suddenly left the hiding place, stepping out on the battlefield. Kira thrust out with his hand to grab a hold of Liz's arm, but his hand groped in the air.   
"Stop her!" Kira commanded in both English and Antarian to his men. But Liz was too quick and the men stopped on the border between the hiding place and the open battlefield, unsure if they should draw more attention to themselves by running out on the battlefield. With sinking heart they all watched the small woman run over the dead bodes, zigzagging between the fighting men, towards something that would be her definite death.   
  
Liz wasn't thinking. She knew that Khivar had set his aim on Max and that he would be releasing the energy he had been summoning any second now. It was just pure instinct to get to Khivar and push him out of balance. She would have moved towards Max and tried to warn him in time, but he was too far away. Her feet carried her lightly over dead bodies and small ankle-high bushes. She was transported by air. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest and then her body impacted with Khivar's hard and muscular body. 

----------------------------------------------------------

  
  
"Max!"   
His heart stopped in his chest, because he knew that voice. And she wasn't supposed to be anywhere near him right now. He didn't have a chance to think another thought before he was thrown to the side. A figure loomed over him as he blinked repeatedly. He felt weird.   
"Max... Max, are you okay?" Serena asked.   
"Liz..." he croaked. "Where's Liz?"   
Serena jerked her head away from his and looked at something. Max tried to get up to see what had happened. But he couldn't move.   
"No," he heard Serena whisper. Then he heard Liz crying. But he could still not see her.   
"Ah, Your Highness, delivering your wife to me I see?"   
The voice was loud and cold. He had never heard it before, but still he knew. He _knew_. Khivar was here and Liz was with him.   
  
Serena slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on Khivar, Max presumed. The only thing he could see was the black sky.   
"Max?" It was Liz and she sounded so frightened.   
"Shut up, bitch. Now, _Max_," Khivar said and Max could hear the smirk on his face, "How much do you want this woman of yours back? I was planning on just killing you, but it seems I've only succeeded half way in that, since you are still breathing. But this is actually much more fun. Let's make a deal."   
Serena looked down and met his eyes, inconspicuously shaking her head. The feeling was beginning to return to his body. It was tingling all over, like when a limb has been in the wrong position for too long. And he could feel how he was getting hot. Too hot. He summoned all the power he could and turned on his side.   
  
Khivar was standing about twenty feet away. He was everything Max had anticipated him to be. Big, dark and cold. And now he had Liz. He was holding her close to his body, one hand firmly around her waist and one around her neck. Tears were running down her cheeks. A look of relief flashed briefly over her face when he met her eyes before a mixture of guilt and fear replaced it.   
"So, what do you say?"   
"What do you want?" Max croaked, his voice sounding strange to his own ears. He could see Liz jerk at his voice and her eyes move to some point on his body. Where the heat was the most prominent. He briefly wondered what had happened to his body.   
Khivar eyed him with a pair of stone eyes as he answered, "I want to have the kid back. And I must say that it's a good deal. I'm being extremely generous. One person in exchange for two."   
Both Max and Liz's eyes widened in confusion until realization dawned over Liz's face.   
Khivar smiled smugly. "What? You didn't think I would know?" His hand slowly snaked down Liz's abdomen, her body freezing at his touch. Max desperately fought to regain control over his body.   
  
"Don't touch her!" he growled out.   
"She hasn't told you yet?" Khivar said, his hand coming to a place right over Liz's stomach.   
Max's eyes locked with Liz and still crying she whispered, "I'm sorry." But he could hear it as clearly as if she had been standing next to him.   
"So, what do you say, _Your Majesty_?" He snarled the title out with a condescending hiss.   
Max was looking at Liz and even though he could see that she was afraid, he could see that she was pleading with him not to give Emma back to Khivar. She was willing to give her own life to save her daughter from that torturous fate. But Max was as unwilling to sacrifice Emma as he was to sacrifice Liz. The decision was impossible to make, yet he had to make it.   
"Can't decide?" Khivar asked with a malicious grin. "I'll make it easier for you."   
The hand that was painfully gripping around Liz's throat moved up to her forehead. And to his horror, Max saw white light starting to surround Khivar's hand. Liz cried out in pain as the power exploded through her head and Max's roar mingle with hers as he tried to get up on his feet to get to her.   
"_Noo!!_"   
  
Somehow he managed to get to his feet, but stumbled when his legs were refusing to keep him upright. Serena caught him before he fell and he leaned on her heavily. Tears of fear, rage and guilt spilled down his cheeks as he watched Liz's head fall forward, shielding her face from him as her body slumped together. Max's hateful eyes were directed at Khivar's emotionless ones.   
Khivar raised a speculative eyebrow and asked with the easiness of a businessman merely proposing the prospect of building a new apartment complex, "What's your decision?"   
"Don't hurt her," Max whispered. It wasn't only a desperate plea, but also a forceful warning. If Khivar did, Max wouldn't be responsible for his actions.   
"If you don't take me up on my offer, I could always just keep your mate," Khivar continued as if Max hadn't said a word. He slowly moved his hand to Liz's head and took a hold of the hair close to her scalp and pulled her head upwards. "I could always find some use of this one."   
Liz's eyes were closed and she seemed only partly conscious as her face came back into view. Khivar slowly moved his hand down Liz's throat towards her breasts.   
  
"I must compliment you on your taste in women," Khivar said as his hand grabbed Liz's breast.   
Max's body plummeted forward, but his inability to move stopped him even before Serena reached out and snapped him backwards.   
"She sure is something," Khivar continued, his hand moving lower along Liz's body, coming to a stop over her stomach. "So, what do you say, Max?"   
Light had begun to simmer out of Khivar's palm again, illuminating Liz's stomach as it shone right through her clothes.   
How could Max choose between Liz, their unborn child and Emma? He couldn't.   
"It's really me you want," Max said. "I have the seal. Remove it from me and do whatever you want with me. Just don't touch my family."   
Khivar looked at him with mock compassion. "Oh, that's so touching. And you actually make a really good point. But you see, Max," Khivar stepped a little closer, dragging Liz with him, and spoke a little slower as if speaking to a child, "You see all these men behind me?" Max tore his eyes away from Khivar and Liz and looked around. Through the darkness he could see men, dark men, glaring at him menacingly, and he couldn't help but wonder with cold fear where his own men were.   
  
"You're a smart man, Max. Considering the absence of your own men, it wouldn't be so hard for you to figure out that it wouldn't be too hard for me to capture you with or without your consent. I _will_ get my seal, Max, and I _will_ reign over this planet. And nothing is going to stand in my way. Not you. Not your bitch and certainly not your children. So I think you can see where I'm going with this. I might be taking the long road to accomplish my motives, but this is just so much more fun." He grinned at Max. But he didn't let Max see his rage over the fact that Max had not seemed affected by his speech at all. He had not reacted in the way Khivar wanted him to. Instead of shrinking together and begging him on his bare knees, he had if possible just straightened up even more, and there was a fire in his eyes that disconcerted Khivar to some degree.   
"Well, it's been fun," Khivar said lightly, "But I have a planet to reign, so I really don't have the time to chat any longer. Time's running out, Max."   
Liz had started to regain consciousness and Max desperately wanted to reopen their connection to see if she was okay. But he couldn't risk that. Serena had explicitly warned him from having the connection open, _especially_ close to Khivar. He could use that connection to get access into Max and Liz's heads and change things around to suit his own needs.   
Liz's half-closed eyes met Max's gaze and he could see that she was prepared to sacrifice herself. She was willing to give her own life up so that he and Emma would be safe.   
"You have no use for them," Max said.   
"You're absolutely right," Khivar agreed, "But this is the exciting bonus. To see you suffer. Trust me, I've been looking forward to this, but I never thought the opportunity would present itself as well as it has. Even though your mate is easy on the eyes, she isn't very bright, is she? Running out here in the middle of a battle? I gotta applaud her for her courage though, or is it just foolhardiness?"   
  
Max never saw the men creep up on the sides. His attention was completely on Liz and on being prepared to protect Liz if Khivar did something. Khivar never saw the men creep up on the sides either. He was too immersed in his own vindictive satisfaction over how everything had turned out to his benefit. Besides, what could happen when he was surrounded by his well-trained and well-prepared men? But Liz saw them. She fought through the thick mist of pain in her mind to capture Max's eyes. They were the last thing she wanted to see when she died. That was when she saw them move almost inconspicuously up through the bushes on the sides, their bodies blending almost perfectly with the darkness. And she knew what they needed to make it all work. They needed a diversion and she was the only one who could give it. She met Max's eyes and mouthed "I love you". She saw fear in his eyes, but before he could react on her good-bye she took advantage of the loosening of Khivar's grip on her body. With the grace like that of a cat, she moved away from his claws and reeled forward. Max's men reacted immediately, aiming at Khivar and his men. Commotion erupted and cries of death filled the previous eerie silence.   
  
The battle was over quickly. Everything cooled down to a deadly stillness. In the middle of the battleground sat a young man with a young woman cradled in his arms. Half of his body was covered in blood and her body was covered in blisters, her skin burned to an almost unrecognizable crisp.   
"Liz? Liz! Don't leave me, don't leave me!" His voice echoed through the darkness as people started to move towards his rocking body. Death clogged the air and they all knew by the devastating sound of his heartbreaking howls that the woman in his arms was dying or already dead.

TBC…


	49. Book 2 Chapter 16

**_Disclaimer: The text in italics at the beginning is the lyrics to "My Love" by Lene Marlin._****  
  
  
****Chapter 16**   
  
  
_Please come and find me my love_   
  
"Liz, baby, please open your eyes."   
  
_I'm ready now to come home_   
  
"Get a medical woman over here!! Max, you have to let us look at your injuries."   
  
_Please come and find me my love_   
  
"No! Get away! Liz... Don't do this. Please, don't do this. I need you."   
  
_Let's leave this place_   
  
"Did I tell you that we have Emma, honey? Our little angel is back. You have to fight, Liz!"   
  
_Let's leave no trace_   
  
"Open your eyes. Liz, please open your eyes, love... Liz... LIZ!"   
"Max, you have to let us see your injuries."   
"Don't worry, honey. I'll make you okay again."   
"Max... Max?! Michael, what the hell is he doing?"   
  
_Can you hear me my love __  
__I'm shouting in the wind __  
__Can you hear me_   
  
"No, Max! You can't do that. You are too weak!"   
"Maxwell, you are going to end up dead!"   
"Leave us! Baby, don't let go. Liz, stay with me. Stay with me!"   
  
_Can you see me my love __  
__I'm drawing in the sand __  
__Can you see me_   
  
"Max?! Stop that, Maxwell!"   
"No, Max..."   
"He is unconscious."   
"Do something damnit! They are both dying!"   
"I'm sorry..."   
"What?! You're sorry?!"   
  
_I hope that I'm still with you as you are with me __  
__You always will be_   
  
"Isabel, get over here! You, you, you, you and you, sit down around them and form a circle."   
"Do you have the healing stones?"   
"Michael, it's too late. They are not breathing."   
  
_Please come and find me my love __  
__I'm ready now to come home_   
  
"Give me the damn healing stones! Max is not going to quit on me like this! Do you hear me, Max? This is not it!"   
"There is no pulse."   
"Water. Michael, we need water."   
"Do someone have a bowl of water?"   
"Here."   
  
_Please come and find me my love __  
__Let's leave this place __  
__Let's leave no trace_   
  
"Take each other's hands. You _have_ done this before, I presume."   
"How are we going to be able to heal them if they are not breathing? They are dead."   
"Don't you dare say that! They are _not_ dead."   
  
_Can you feel me my love __  
__I'm hurting so bad __  
__Can you feel it_   
  
"Shut up and concentrate."   
  
_Can you tell about my thoughts __  
__I wish that you were here __  
  
__Do you know it __  
__The time that I've had don't need any more __  
__You're the one I wait for_

---------------------------------------------------

  
  
It was so quiet.   
Even the silence seemed hushed.   
Was this death? Was this what it felt like to be dead?   
  
There was a devoid of presence. Like being put in a big plastic bubble where no sounds were permitted entrance. The mind felt numb. Yet, as it was at a loss of feelings, something was awakening. Slowly. Gradually. Like water dripping from a tap, which had not been fully closed.   
  
Drip. Drip. Drip.   
  
Soft dark hair. Flowing. Billowing.   
  
Drip.   
  
Deep brown eyes. Laughter.   
  
Drip.   
  
A hand. A touch. Slender fingers. Tears.   
  
And it all came flowing back. The plastic bubble imploded and noise filled the deflating interior.   
  
Lips. Kiss. Arms. Smile.   
  
_I love you, Liz._   
  
Liz.   
  
Liz.   
  
_I love you so much._   
  
Coldness. Fear. Grief.   
  
_Don't leave me! __  
  
__Liz... Liz?!_   
  
"_Liiiiizz!!!_"   
"He's awake."   
"Max, lay down."   
"Liz!"   
"Oh my God. Max! How are you feeling?"   
  
Panic. Fear.   
  
"His pulse is quickening."   
"What's happening?"   
"Move to the side, Isabel."   
"He's going into shock..." 

------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
Agonizingly slowly, he opened his eyes and began blinking repeatedly against the bright light.   
"Max?"   
He blinked slowly before carefully, numbly, turning his head to the side towards the source of the voice. Isabel was looking at him with red-brimmed eyes. Her hair was a mess and her face carried stains of soot. She looked like she hadn't slept in years.   
"Can you hear me?" Isabel asked teary. She was looking at him intently, like he was going to disappear if she let herself blink.   
He nodded mutely.   
A sob escaped her throat. "How are you feeling?"   
Max opened his mouth to answer her, but only a hoarse croak came out.   
"Here, have some water," Isabel said, handing him the glass. He emptied the glass greedily before returning it to Isabel.   
  
"What...what happened?" His voice was barely above a whisper due to the strain it took to just formulate the words and have his dry lips and throat produce them.   
Isabel dropped her eyes and Max's eyes moved to where her fingers were fidgeting with the edge of the covers. He absently registered tears falling on her hands.   
"Khivar showed up," she whispered, "You almost died, Max." She looked up, "You _were_ dead."   
But Max had stopped listening after the first sentence.   
  
Khivar showed up.   
  
Khivar showed up.   
  
Suddenly, he couldn't breath. The air in his lungs came out in whizzing sounds as he gasped for oxygen.   
"Liz?" he whimpered. Liz had been there, in the middle of the battlefield. Khivar had been holding her and...   
"Where's Liz?!" He more or less bolted up from the bed, only to have Isabel force his beaten body back down against the pillows.   
"Max, I'm sorry," she murmured.   
Max stared at the tears running down her cheeks. What was she saying?   
"No!" he cried out and forcefully shook his head. "No. Where is she?"   
Isabel brushed her tears away with the back of her hand and quickly laid a comforting hand on Max's shoulder. She suddenly realized how that might've sounded.   
  
"She's... she's in another tent," Isabel clarified hoarsely.   
"Is she... is she..." Max took a deep trembling painful breath before thickly asking, "...dead?"   
Isabel swallowed back some of the tears. "No." She took a hold of Max's hand, trying to give him some warmth. But he didn't return her squeeze. His hand was just as cold and limp as when he had been unconscious. "But the medical woman can't do anything more. We tried with the healing stones, but they aren't working."   
"Take me to her," Max ordered, dangerous determination blazing in his eyes.   
"Max, you are too weak," Isabel protested weakly. It was so painful to see him like this. She ached to help him, but she had done everything she could. She could only support him now.   
"I need to see her," Max said. He wasn't really asking for her permission. He was already halfway out of bed and even though he'd just woken up after being in a comatose state for two days, he suddenly had an almost inhuman strength. Strength to get to Liz. 

----------------------------------------------------

  
  
Serena looked up when she heard noise from the other side of the thin tent wall, just in time to see Max appear in the opening.   
"Your High- Max?!" she cried out with surprise. Isabel was at his side and he was leaning heavily on her, letting his sister support his still weak body.   
"What are you doing up?" Serena asked, glancing at Isabel who just gave her a helpless shrug. But Max's attention wasn't on Serena at all. It was on the still figure lying on the mattress on the floor. He suddenly moved so quickly forward that both he and Isabel stumbled with the sudden change of speed. Max tiredly fell to his knees next to the mattress. Serena shot Isabel a worried look, as Isabel moved away to give Max the privacy he needed.   
  
He could hardly recognize her. Her whole body, even her beautiful face, was covered in white bandage.   
"Honey?" he said hoarsely, his hand moving to her hair, which was about the only thing that was the same. He didn't know he was crying until tears started to fall on the bandage of her chest, making small circular spots form on the white covering. His eyes moved down her body and moved up again to come to rest on her close eyelids.   
Without tearing his eyes away from her face he whispered, "I want all the details of her condition."   
Serena looked at Isabel questioningly and Isabel nodded. There was nothing that could stop Max now.   
"She's..." Serena croaked and had to clear her throat, "About 94 % of her body has third degree burns. The rest is second." She paused and took a deep breath as her eyes was fixed on Max's hand moving tenderly through Liz's dark hair. "She has internal burns as well. On the lungs, on her heart..." Serena looked at Isabel again. Should she really continue this?   
"What else?" Max asked quietly.   
  
Serena took another deep breath and continued, "On the liver, the kidneys."   
There was a pause as Max's eyes slowly traveled down the length of Liz's body before coming to rest on her abdomen. "What about the baby?" Max asked throatily.   
"The amazing thing is that the baby seems to be doing perfectly fine. I don't know why, but it appears to be unharmed."   
"If we are fortunate, we can keep the mother alive long enough for the fetus to grow into an agreeable size for it to be put in a pod," the physician on the other end of the tent said.   
Max tore his eyes away from Liz's face and glared at him. Serena, seeing the murderous look, hurried to continue, before Max could open his mouth.   
"She is being kept alive by the healing crystals." Max turned his head and noticed that a large transparent prism was hovering over Liz's head, its creation originating from two bright crystals positioned on both sides of Liz's head.   
  
"What did he do to her?" Max whispered, the anguish dripping from his voice.   
Serena dropped her eyes and stared at Liz's unresponsive figure a couple of deadly silent seconds before lifting her head and giving Max an answer.   
"He shot a ray of pure energy into her, turning her skin into fire and making her insides heat up."   
An anguished groan tore over Max's lips and Serena shuddered at the sound.   
"I'm so sorry, Max. We tried to stop him, but everything just happened too fast. We couldn't predict Liz's actions. We had no idea she would do that...that sacrifice."   
Max nodded, doomed. Slowly, he lifted his hands and let them hover along Liz's body.   
"Max... What are you doing?" Serena asked apprehensively.   
"I want to be alone with her," Max said woodenly.   
Serena looked at Isabel for support. Isabel stepped forward and put a tentative hand on his shoulder, which he immediately shrugged off.   
  
"Max, you can't do that," she said, her voice trembling with the weight of the sacrifice her brother had to make and the grief and fear of what her brother would do to save his loved one.   
"Yes, I _can_. What good are my powers if I can't save her?"   
"Max, you're too weak," Serena warned. She couldn't let him do this. He would get himself killed.   
"Leave me," Max ordered, raising his head to stare directly into Serena's eyes. Serena shivered at the pure animalistic possessiveness she saw in his eyes. Unconsciously, she took a step back.   
"Max, you could die," Isabel cried. "Think about Emma! Do you want her to lose both of her parents?"   
"The Antarian people can't lose their king again," Serena pleaded, desperate for him to understand, desperate to prevent him from sacrificing the happiness of his people.   
  
Max sprung to his feet, his body swaying slightly with weakness and anger. "Damnit! Don't you understand?! Without her I am as good as dead! Without her you have no king. She is my heart, my happiness, my soul, my everything!" His voice softened as he tiredly sank to his knees again, taking Liz's bandaged hand carefully and added in a broken whisper, "She is my life."   
"Max, I know that," Isabel said gently, "But think about Emma. You can't put yourself at this kind of risk. She needs you. Do you want Liz's sacrifice to be for nothing?"   
Max snapped his head up to Isabel's face. "She wasn't even supposed to be out there! Why didn't you stop her, Isabel? I trusted you to keep her safe!"   
Isabel actually snorted, which caused Max's eyes to darken with building anger. "It's Liz, Max. When has anyone ever been able to tell her what to do? Not even you have been able to do that."   
"You weren't even supposed to be _near_ the battlefield," Max accused.   
"She felt something. She felt that you were in some kind of danger," Isabel said, her voice hardening, "Besides, she probably wouldn't have done something as drastic if you hadn't blocked the connection without telling her you would."   
  
Isabel regretted the harsh words the moment she said them. Knowing Max, he was probably already being eaten up with guilt without needing to have her beat him over the head with the harsh facts.   
Max turned his face away from Isabel. Her words echoed in the empty silence.   
"There is no need to assign guilt," Serena said calmly and paused shortly before continuing. "But Max, I really think that you should rest before you try something."   
"Will she live that long?" Max asked quietly.   
Serena swallowed. Considering the damage Khivar had caused on Max's body he needed a long time to recuperate and at best he should heal himself first before having enough strength to heal Liz. But considering the fact that Liz was more or less balancing on the border between life and death every second, time was really a survival factor. Even if she would live long enough for Max to heal her the damage would gradually deteriorate her body with each passing hour. A small legacy Khivar had left behind. But Serena couldn't tell Max that he was racing against time in more ways than one. That would really provoke him into doing something rash.   
  
"No," Serena answered honestly.   
Max nodded, his eyes fixed on Liz's closed ones.   
"I need to be alone with her," he repeated.   
"What about Em-" Isabel wearily protested, but Max cut her off.   
"I'm not going to do anything, okay? I just want some time alone with her."   
There was a pause as both Serena and Isabel weighed Max's request. Isabel knew from experience that there was nothing that could stand in the way of him protecting Liz and if he had to lie to his sister to do it, he would.   
"Max, promise me that you won't do anything foolish," Isabel pleaded.   
"I won't, Iz."   
"Okay," Isabel sighed tiredly.   
She and Serena silently left the tent, leaving Max and Liz on their own.   
  
Max tenderly let his hands move through her hair. It was filled with twisted knots and one side was mixed with dry blood. He realized that it might be his own blood. He was starting to remember the numbness in his own body. He wasn't exactly sure what Khivar had done to him, but it wasn't really of any importance. Liz was all that mattered now.   
"Baby..." he whispered gently. His eyes were fixed on her closed eyes as if expecting her to actually open them and he would be staring into those deep beautiful dark pools again. She would probably reprimand him for getting out of bed. Max smiled faintly to himself, his thumbs gently tracing her bruised eyelids.   
"You are so brave, sweetie," Max said softly, "But do you have to be so stubborn?" He closed his eyes and fought back the tears. "I'm just gonna check you out, okay?"   
He paused for a minute, looking at her covered face, before taking a hold of the covers and gently pulling them down from her body.   
  
Bandages.   
  
That was all he could see. Everywhere.   
Max let out an anguished sob. "Liz..."   
How could someone do this to her? To his beautiful Liz with her big heart, her warm smile, her twinkling eyes, her playfulness. Her love.   
  
He started taking deep breaths to calm himself down and focus. As his eyes slowly drifted closed, his hands moved to hover on each side of her head.   
  
Pain.   
  
Pain so blinding it almost pushed him right out of the connection. But he fought against it, trying to move pass it. It was so intense that he could barely do that. His head was already throbbing, his lungs aching for oxygen. His heart was beating erratically, in sync with the unsystematic beating of her heart. And he was barely scratching the first layer of their connection.   
  
He worked through layer and layer of pain. Piercing pain. Throbbing pain. Numbing pain. Dull, stifling pain. Then his mind gained clarity, like coming out of a thick mist, and he was able to focus. He methodically went through every millimeter of her body, registering what was wrong and what needed to be done for it to be healed. He forced his own emotions to the back of his mind. They would make it impossible for him to stand this. The damage was extensive, almost complete. There were barely any areas of her body unharmed.   
  
Except her uterus. Miraculously, it was completely untouched. Max mentally inhaled deeply when he felt the pure life force under his fingers, in his mind, of his unborn child. It was alive and it was, as Serena had told him, unharmed. He forced himself to move on. He could feel his energy quickly draining. He lingered some in the warm presence of their baby, before he continued to scan the rest of Liz's body.   
  
He came out of the connection gasping for air. Remnants of Liz's pain mixed with his own feelings of raw fear and panic. He felt completely helpless. His whole body trembled as he carefully laid his head on her stomach. It had hit him just how weak he was. Just looking through her body, which normally barely took any energy at all, had left him completely drained. His body rocked with sadness as the bandage covering her stomach became wet with tears. He could feel her slipping away from him. He now knew the extension of his own injury and with that also came the realization that there was little he could do for Liz.   
  
Max gently stroke her bandaged abdomen, feeling the life tickling beneath his fingers. There might be little he could do for Liz, but he would do it. He would give her every amount of energy he had. Even if it killed him. 

----------------------------------------------------------------

  
  
Max quietly moved into the tent. It was illuminated with the soft light from _lucidas_, randomly placed around the tent area. Lucidas were more like candles than anything else, although they did not burn. Instead they used stones that collected and reflected the light from the Xerios planet outside back in the room.   
  
He gave the guard a short nod and he stood up and left the tent, just as silently as he had been watching over the child.   
  
Max slowly moved towards the mattress, his eyes fixed on the small bundle curled up in the middle of the vast mattress. He felt some kind of peace settle over him as his eyes moved over his sleeping daughter. She actually was back with them, safe. He hadn't had the chance to be informed on how Emma was doing since he had woken up. The only thing he did know about what she was feeling about everything, was what he had been hit with when he had taken her out of the palace. She had been almost catatonic then.   
  
He slid to his knees beside the mattress. She was sound asleep, her arms and legs pulled up close to her chest, making her seem smaller than ever. His eyes fell on her chest. She was clutching something tightly to her chest. He carefully reached out with his hand to move her small hand so that he could see what it was. He barely had the chance to touch the material, though, before she whimpered. His heart froze at the helpless sound and his hand changed direction, moving to her face. She jumped at his gentle touch, but she didn't wake up and soon she settled down under his ministrations.   
  
Her thick black lashes rested against her cheeks, which once had been round and flushed with the red color of health. They were now sunken in, the skin stretched over the cheekbones. His hand traveled to her hair, once bright and soft, now lifeless and tangled up. She was still dirty from the escape and Max briefly wondered why they hadn't cleaned her up. Was it because they didn't want to disturb her, or was it because she wouldn't let anyone near to do it?   
  
A lonesome tear rolled down Max's cheek as his finger began tracing the frown lines on her forehead. She was too young to look so afraid, so restless, especially in her sleep.   
  
How would he be able to explain to Emma why her mother wasn't visiting her? How did you explain to a four-year-old that her mother was so ill that she couldn't walk or even open her eyes? How did you explain that she might never wake up again?   
  
Max brushed away the flow of tears now freely streaming down his cheeks in frustration. His hand came to rest on her small hip.   
"I'm here, honey," he whispered, his voice clogged with tears, "You're safe now. You're safe now." 

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Isabel walked in later to find her brother asleep on his knees besides his daughter's mattress. His head was resting next to Emma's pulled up legs, his hand curled into Emma's shirt. Isabel swallowed back the tears forming in her eyes and stepped further into the tent, retrieving one of the blankets and carefully spreading it over Max's exhausted body. With one final look she left the tent, letting Max, for the first time in a month, be in his daughter's presence.

TBC…


	50. Book 2 Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**   
  
  
The first rays of the red sun began to spread their warm light across the green sky. Animals tentatively awoke to the new day, wondering if it would be a day of peace or a day filled with screams and death. With the first timid notes of a bird's song, people in the small cottages started to wake up. Some woke up feeling that this was the first day of their new life, the beginning of something better. Others woke up feeling drained of energy, lost, angry and confused.   
  
Some hadn't even gone to sleep. They were still walking around outside, looking for their loved ones among the heaps of people coating the former battlefield. The silence was occasionally interrupted by outburst of sorrow as someone found a brother, a sister, a father, a mother among the casualties.   
  
Some men were trying to rid the battlefield of the bodies, with heavy hearts. The ones that were completely unrecognizable were buried. Others were put in small tents where their relatives could come and bid their last goodbyes. There was a hushed silence over Antar this day. People were mourning, but those who hadn't lost a loved one were celebrating. Still, the celebration was quiet and respectful. Because the battle had been fought, and according to the simple people on Antar, they had won. But they had lost in so many ways too.   
  
Out in the middle of the wilderness eight tents of different sizes were arranged. Here the battle was still being fought. A battle between shock and sorrow. A battle between life and death. Inside one of the tents a little girl was sleeping as oblivious to the meaning of the new morning as she was to the outside world. Her mind had pulled back to the place where she couldn't feel, couldn't register. Where she merely existed.   
  
In another tent a woman was sleeping, her sleep plagued with painful images and memories of a friend being badly hurt and a brother almost dying. A warrior occupied the tent next to her. But his warrior heart had become scorched. Insomnia had been his uninvited companion through the night. He had spent his waking hours guarding his friends and giving orders so that nothing would happen to or even disturb the ones he loved. His thoughts were constantly pulled back to another person though. A person not walking on this planet, but on another. The one person who could pull him together and give him peace. When would he see her again?   
  
One tent was empty. Once filled with deep love and gentle caresses, it was now deathly empty. It was as if it was holding its breath in anticipation of what would return and when. The bigger tent was the medical tent. It was here the real battle was fought. It was here a woman was fighting against the eternal blackness with her every artificial breath. It was here a man was sitting, waiting, hoping, and crying. His family had been taken away from him in a matter of hours and, if it came to it, he would die with them.   
  
The battle wasn't over yet. One battle had ended to give place to another and everyone was waiting. Waiting for what was to happen now. Waiting for the new life to begin. Waiting for the eyes of their loved ones to open again. 

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"Max..."   
The voice was gentle and soft, so as not to scare him. Still, he snapped violently out of his reverie, jumping at her voice.   
"It's just me," Isabel said with the faint resemblance of a reassuring smile.   
He didn't give her any sign that he had heard her. He just turned his head back towards the still body, keeping a firm grip on the hand tucked safely within his own.   
Isabel swallowed and tried not to be disconcerted by his lack of presence in this world. "I brought you some food." When he didn't answer, she continued, "You have to eat something, Max."   
His body was tense and unresponsive. She would probably have more success talking to a wall. She took a deep breath and put the tray with food on the floor. He might want to pull away from the real world, but she wouldn't let him. She wouldn't let him just give up on life, even if it meant that he had to live without Liz.   
"I'll just leave it here and you can eat whenever you feel like it," Isabel said quietly.   
She paused and looked at him, when he still wasn't acknowledging her presence.   
"You need your strength, Max. If you are going to be able to help Liz..."   
Her name triggered the first response in Max. His body tensed even more and he lowered his head.   
Isabel bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying and whispered hoarsely, "We are just outside if you need anything."   
She took a deep breath as she turned away from the shell that Max had become. He was only a body now, his feelings, his _soul_, either buried or desperately trying to reach a mate that it had lost. The other half of a whole. Tears fell down her cheeks as she turned her back on her brother and left the tent.   
  
Max closed his eyes as his sister left and let his own tears fall. He had heard every word, he just didn't have the ability to answer her. It didn't seem to matter anymore. Nothing did. He was so tired and the logical part of his brain was desperately pleading with him to lie down and sleep. But he couldn't. What if she left him while he was asleep? He clutched her hand harder in his at the thought and had to take a deep breath to calm the sudden painful emptiness and panic that was quickly filling him. It was a familiar feeling ever since she had been hurt.   
  
The same part of his brain that told him that the sensible thing to do was to sleep was also telling him that he should eat. He cast a chaste glance towards the tray. The food didn't appeal to him at all. He didn't have an appetite. But that didn't matter. He knew that he had to eat because it would give him more energy to help Liz. Not letting go of her hand, he reached out with his free hand and took the bread from the tray and took a reluctant bite. The bread felt dry in his mouth. It tasted like a sponge, slowly swelling in his mouth, making it almost impossible to swallow. But he forced it down. Chunk after chunk, and took the glass of artificially made water to wash the bread down.   
  
Then his focus was back on Liz.   
"Baby," he whispered, "I'm gonna make you feel a little better, okay?"   
Taking several deep breaths to calm himself down and focus, he simultaneously moved his hands to her hair, letting his fingers thread through her thick mane. Then he began feeding her body with his energy. He concentrated on the vital organs first, trying to repair them as best he could. It was more strenuous than usual, not only because of his own weakened condition, but also because he couldn't form a two-way connection with her since she was unconscious. Fortunately, the connection they ordinarily shared helped him some now. He knew her. He knew her body, her mind, and her soul by heart. He had memorized her entire body intimately, not only the exterior but also the interior. He had healed her so many times when she had been ill because of their blocked connection, and that knowledge helped guide him through her body now.   
  
Three minutes later he pulled out of her mind and body with a sharp intake of breath. His whole body was trembling from the physical exertion, his energy completely drained. He only remained in the conscious state of mind for a mere two seconds before his body gave up and he passed out. His body slumped forward over Liz's abdomen, the life beneath her skin pulsating in reaction to the sudden, but comforting pressure. 

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"He in there?" Michael asked, nodding towards the tent. The question was merely rhetorical; he already knew the answer.   
"Yes, sir," the guard answered.   
Michael nodded and brushed past the guard. His steps halted, his mouth falling open in apprehension when he saw Max slumped over Liz. He was probably just asleep, Michael told himself as he sped up his pace and grasped Max's shoulder not so very gently.   
"Max?!" he hissed, shaking Max lightly.   
When he didn't respond, or even stir, Michael shook him a little harder. "Max!"   
Fear gripping him, Michael clumsily searched for Max's pulse on the underside of his wrist. He felt cold, but there was a pulse. Michael didn't know very much about those stuff, it was Max's area of expertise, but he would say that the pulse was weak.   
"Max?!" he said again, a little louder this time. He took a hold of Max's shoulder and pulled him upwards. His eyes were closed and his head slumped forward so that his chin rested limply against his chest.   
  
"Hey! Max!" Michael could feel the fear building in him.   
Just then Serena stepped into the tent.   
"Michael?" she asked and then she saw the state Max was in and quickly stepped inside the tent and walked up to Max. "What's wrong?"   
"I found him like this," Michael answered.   
"Okay, let's lie him down," Serena said, remaining calm. It was no riddle to her what had happened her. Max had tried to heal Liz and he had depleted his energy. Her eyes quickly registered the crumbs on the tray as she helped Michael lay Max down.   
"He's eaten something," Serena said.   
Michael's eyes drifted to the tray, his eyebrows furrowed in angry confusion. "So?" His attention was back on Max again.   
  
"That's a good sign," Serena said as she slid to her knees beside her unresponsive king, "He had more energy to take from and that's perhaps what stopped him from completely destroying himself."   
She jumped as Michael clapped his hands over Max's head. She quickly took a hold of his hands to silence them.   
Michael turned to her with an angry look.   
"What are you doing?" Serena accused.   
"Trying to wake him up," Michael answered with the same tone of voice.   
Serena pulled his hands down to his lap again, away from Max. "Michael, you have to let him sleep. You can't wake him up now even if you wanted to. He needs to refuel his energy."   
  
Michael stared at Serena for a second or two, before turning his head to stare at Max's weary face. His voice was soft and fearful when he whispered the question that scared him the most, "He won't die?"   
Serena didn't know how many times these hybrids have touched her heart with their care and compassion for each other. It must be wonderful to feel such things, but of course it also must be very painful in situations like these. From the day Khivar had taken over Antar and her parents had been killed in the process, her emotions had been repressed in order that she become the best possible warrior. But even ordinary people on Antar had been forced to stop feeling, to stop thinking, or they would have died from anguish under Khivar's reign. It had been so long that Serena didn't know how to feel any longer, not many people did.   
  
She took a deep breath and smiled softly at the warrior beside her who was terrified that he would lose his best friend. "He won't die. He just needs to rest. Let's put him here beside Liz. I'm sure that's where he wants to be."   
Michael nodded and together they moved Max onto the mattress. Astonished, they watched Max move his body slightly towards Liz's. As if there were a magnetic field and their bodies had been pulled towards each other.   
"Is he still unconscious?" Serena asked, perplexed.   
Michael actually smiled. "Yes, he is." That was just one of the many things Serena would witness about Max and Liz that would surprise and awe her. 

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_One week later_   
  
Michael stopped again as the muffled cries reached his ears. It wasn't his imagination. Someone was crying. After spending weeks in the company of aliens who didn't feel or if they had any feelings, didn't let them show, the sound sounded foreign to his ears. There could only be one person who would be crying, since he had just left the medical tent where Max had fallen asleep after the strain of yet another healing.   
  
He followed the sound and stopped outside her tent. It had never been his thing to comfort. Maybe he was more like his alien men in the respect that feelings scared him. Or at least, intense feelings did. He didn't know what to say or what to do to comfort someone. But her heart-wrenching and lonely cries twisted his heart and he found himself pushing the tent fabric to the side and stepping inside the poorly lit tent.   
  
He saw her hunched figure in the corner of the tent. Her arms tightly wrapped around her legs, her face buried in her knees, her blonde long hair, dirty and neglected, hiding her face from any outside watchers. Without a word, he closed the distance between them and sat down beside her. She hadn't noticed his presence, so when he gently touched her arm, she gave a start, the crying hitching fearfully in her throat.   
"It's okay, it's just me," Michael said.   
She broke apart at his words, and her crying intensified as she leaned into Michael, searching his warmth and comfort. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight, getting just as much comfort from having a warm body close as Isabel did. They sat like that for a long time, before her crying eased into broken sobs and hiccups.   
"I'm sorry," she whispered.   
"No, it's okay," he said gently.   
  
She shook her head against his chest. "No, no. It's not okay. We are still trapped on this godforsaken planet. Liz is dying, Max is dying...with her," her voice broke and it took a while for her to regain enough strength to continue, "And Emma is just...she isn't answering. She is barely meeting my eyes. She doesn't talk. She's just...she's just...there. Like some kind of statue."   
Michael knew what she was talking about. He hadn't paid too many visits to the little girl, because her condition scared him. She was like a zombie. Not talking, not seeing, not eating. Barely alive. He didn't know what they had done to her in captivity, but one thing was for sure. She was broken inside and it was on days like these that he wondered if she could ever be mended.   
"Max is with her every night, after waking up from his healings... And he...he can't reach her either," she whispered, "It's killing him, Michael. He has lost them both."   
"I know, I know," he said, stroking her hair.   
  
"And the worst thing is that I can't stop thinking about home. About mom and dad. And...and Alex."   
Her voice was soaked with guilt and it caused Michael to halter in his movements.   
"How can I be so selfish, Michael?" Isabel asked, her voice becoming hoarse with new never-ending tears. "Max is losing his family, the one person that he has been in love with since he was in third grade is dying, and all I can think about is that I want to have Alex here with me. I want to spend Christmas with him. Laughing, opening presents. Why can't it be me?" Her voice bore a twinge of resentment now, mixed with anger and injustice.   
  
Christmas. It was the 24th of December today. On Earth people were gathering, meeting old friends and eating and laughing. Here, there was no Christmas. Here, there was grief, frustration, darkness and death.   
  
"I miss Maria," Michael said softly, not sure what to say to convince her that she wasn't selfish.   
She sniffled and raised her head to meet his eyes that had taken on a far-away expression at the thought of Maria.   
"It's been too long," she whispered.   
He nodded. "I miss her so much. I feel so lost without her." She nodded, tears spilling down her already soaked cheeks.   
"When do you think we'll be going home?" she asked, weary hope in her question.   
Michael swallowed and closed his eyes. Before checking up on Max earlier, he had been to a meeting with Serena and Aldonis and some other well-respected people. They wanted Max to begin act like a king and take care of the planet. Antar was in shock and it needed a firm hand to pull them out of their grief. Michael had a feeling that only Serena understood him when he had tried to convince them that Max wouldn't be able to give hope to an entire nation right now. They needed a king and the situation was getting desperate.   
"Soon, I think," he lied. Her hopeful smile made his heart twitch painfully.   
"Thank you," she whispered before burying her face in his shirt. Gazing into the darkness, he took a tighter hold of her tired body while longing for another body to be in his arms. 

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The man watched the cloth fly out of his arms and across the room. His shoulder sagged. The frustration and the meaningless of the situation smothered him. The man turned to another man who was carefully moving closer to the guarded person in the corner of the room, and spoke to him in Antarian. As he expressed his irritation, the cloth, following a forceful command from his mind, smoothly flew back into his hand. Coming to an agreement, the two men took a deep breath and once again started to move closer to the small person. The object of their attention moved her arms to cover her face and curled up even more tightly into a ball, like a hedgehog rolling up to protect itself from enemies. She whimpered as their shadow slowly fell over her body, blocking the light from her view. When the man with the washcloth reached out towards her and touched her arm, an agonized wail broke over her lips.   
"What the hell are you doing?"   
  
Both of the men jerked away from their victim at the quiet but menacing voice. They both knew who it was without even having to turn their heads towards the new arriver.   
"Your Highness," the men mumbled in unison, keeping their heads bent of fear of disrespecting His Highness by meeting his eyes.   
"Get away from her."   
The order was clear and threatening, and the men obeyed immediately.   
"Sir, we were only trying to-"   
His explanation came to an end as their eyes met. "Don't ever do it again," Max said quietly, with barely restrained anger.   
"No, sir. Of course not, sir." Stuttering apologies, the two men scurried out of the tent.   
  
Slowly, as to not frighten her even more than the men obviously already had, he moved closer to her. He saw the bucket of water on the floor and the washcloths lying beside it. He knew what they had been trying to do. They had only been trying to clean her up. But when Max had stepped into the tent and heard her whimper and seen the men looming over her curled up body, his protective streak had kicked in full force. What infuriated him was that they wouldn't leave her alone, even though she obviously didn't want them doing what they were doing. She didn't even want them touching her.   
  
The acrid odor of excrement enveloped him and he swallowed back tears together with nausea. His little vibrant girl had gone from being independent and carefree, to someone who wasn't functioning anymore. She didn't know when she needed to use the toilet. She didn't even care. Max stopped beside her body and saw her tense. She knew he was there but she didn't know whether he was friend or foe. Her eyes were hidden behind tresses of her too long bangs and her head was bent into her knees. Still, he had a feeling she was watching him. Closely.   
  
He slowly lifted his hand and registered how she retreated even further, before moving his hand over her body, removing all traces of her faeces.   
"Emma..." he whispered gently.   
She whimpered and pulled herself further up the wall which barely seemed possible, considering she was already plastered to the tent wall.   
"You wanna go to bed? You wanna sleep in the warm bed instead?"   
He didn't expect an answer and wasn't the least surprised when he didn't receive one.   
"I'm just gonna take you there. Okay, baby?"   
Gently, he placed his hands on her body. She tensed, but she didn't move away. He drew a mental sigh of relief. She was willing to cooperate with him.   
  
"I'll have to lift you up, honey." He tucked his hands under her body and lifted her. Slowly. She was like dead weight in his arms. Tensing up even more, as if trying to put as much distance between her own body and his as she could. But Max wouldn't let her. She needed to feel body contact again. She needed to learn to recognize the touch of someone who didn't wish her harm. He pulled her closer to the warmth of his own body, the stiffness of hers cutting through his heart. He straightened up and walked the short distance to the bed. He was limping some, due to one of the many injuries that hadn't been given the chance to heal properly because he had been feeding Liz's body with his energy. He lingered some, careful not to stir her too much, and slid to his knees beside the mattress and laid her there. The second his arms reluctantly left her body, she curled up again, pulling her knees up to her stomach and burying her face behind her knees. Max took a deep breath to get his strength back. Then he took the blanket and pulled it over her body, before moving out of the tent.   
  
He unceremoniously bumped into Serena, who was waiting outside.   
"She okay?" she asked.   
Max scrubbed his face with his hand in an attempt to remove the weariness that had become a permanent resident in his bones.   
"Yes, for the moment."   
"Max, I'm sorry if those men-" Max looked up in her guilty face and shook his head, efficiently cutting off her apologies.   
"They were only following orders and since aliens aren't known for their ability to feel empathy, they didn't know when to stop."   
Serena's eyes clouded over with guilt. Feelings had been consuming her more and more as she spent more time in the hybrids' presence but she knew that the other aliens, the warriors, still had a long way to go before they would be able to feel emotions.   
  
She opened her mouth to say she was sorry, but Max beat her to it. "From now on, I don't want any strangers around her. Not even you," she straightened her head and nodded, "She didn't know you before and she has only met you in captivity. I don't want her to associate anything with her time in captivity any longer. I'll take care of washing her..."   
"Max, you can't do this alone. You are giving so much of your energy to Liz-"   
"Isabel will be helping. She will be with Emma when I can't. I'm gonna ask Michael to keep watch. I don't want any others inside that tent. I want guards outside, but no one else inside. Got it?"   
"Yes, Max," Serena nodded.   
Max raked his hand through his hair, which was getting rather long from lack of attention.   
  
"And I want diapers."   
"Excuse me?" Serena looked at him confused.   
"You know what diapers are?" Max asked.   
Serena thought about it for a few seconds and then she remembered a text she had read on maternal care and she nodded. "Yes... But we don't have any here on Antar."   
"Then make some," Max said.   
"Of course," Serena said hesitantly.   
"Thank you," Max said and turned to go to the medical tent. Serena took a deep breath and turned in the other direction. Max calling out her name halted her in her movements.   
"Yes?" she said, turning around.   
  
"Thank you, Serena. For everything you're doing here. Thank you."   
Serena could feel her cheeks getting hot from the heartfelt praise and she ducked her head. "It's an honor, Max."

TBC…


	51. Book 2 Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**   
  
  
A gentle brush against his hand woke him up.   
  
Tiredly, he started to lift his head, when it fell back down again as intense blinding pain shot through him. He barely resisted the urge to cry out and began taking deep breaths to remove the agony. Through the pain that had almost paralyzed him, he felt the tingle again and his stinging eyes moved to look at his hand. What he saw made his heart stop in his chest. Not thinking about what kind of pain that sudden movement would give him, he snapped his head up to her face.   
  
She was looking at him.   
  
"Liz...?" he croaked.   
She was crying. Her eyes were red and if he had been able to see through the bandage covering her face he would've seen the frown of deep pain on her forehead. The pain had started to spread throughout his body. It felt as if his skin was on fire. His breathing became shallow and strained as he tried to control the pain. A pain he knew he was getting from the connection her return to consciousness had suddenly opened wide.   
  
He never realized that he was crying. He never felt the hot tears. His attention was on the other part of his soul, who was looking at him. He could feel how much her eyes hurt by just looking, but underneath all the pain he could feel her feelings like a dull humming in the background. The pain was muffling most of it, making her most prominent feelings about pain and fear. But he could also feel her unwavering stubbornness to not to let him out of her line of vision. Her almost lethal desperation to hold onto him.   
  
So that she wouldn't fall.   
  
"Baby," Max whispered and moved his hands to her hair. Feeling her feelings in his body again was the most relieving and beautiful thing he had felt in a long dark time, even thought it was the most painful thing he had ever felt, seeing that the connection opened up all the pain Liz was feeling. Which only made him more determined to do what he had to do.   
  
Even though he didn't want to let her go. 

--------------------------------------------------------

  
  
_Simultaneously in the next tent_   
  
Isabel jumped as the normally deathly quiet child screamed.   
  
A long, prolonged cry of raw pain, that made shivers broke out on her skin. She immediately crawled closer to the child, while silently debating whether or not she should touch her. Whether it would be comfort for the child, or just adding to the fear that was suddenly boiling in the room. Her whimper stopped Isabel cold.   
  
"Mommy..."   
Isabel gasped inaudibly and tears started to flow down her cheeks.   
"Emma?"   
The child was as still as ever, but her eyes weren't. She was staring directly at Isabel and something in the way she was holding Isabel captured with her eyes told Isabel that something was different. There was a certain wakefulness and consciousness in her eyes. A focus.   
"Mommy..." she whimpered again.   
Isabel reached her decision and slowly reached out to touch her hair. Emma tensed at the contact, but she didn't move away like she used to.   
  
"Your mommy is waiting for you, Emma. She loves you so much."   
It seemed as if her soft whisper had reached Emma's ears, because the little girl started crying. Lonely, heart breaking wails of misery.   
"It hurts..." Emma sobbed.   
"I know, honey. But we are going to take that pain away, if you help us." Isabel wasn't sure what hurt. There were no outside signs of any injuries, and she was certain that Max had checked her over internally as well. If there were something wrong he would have told them. Wouldn't he? 

-------------------------------------------------

  
  
Max slowly and painfully sifted through the pain. It was like looking for something buried in sand. No matter how much you dug, the sand kept flowing back into the hole, making the labor even more strenuous. He was searching for the question to which he could provide her the answers.   
"Emma is with us," he whispered. He saw the strong relief in her eyes and the questioning look that followed. "She's fine." It was a lie, but Liz needed all the positive information she could get. She wasn't capable of handling the paralyzing pain while worrying about their little girl not being sane anymore.   
  
"I love you so much, Liz," he whispered, his voice barely holding up against the tears streaming down his cheeks, a sign betraying the fear raging inside of him.   
Her eyes filled with new tears, which fell onto the bandages on her cheeks.   
"Please don't leave us," Max's hand was desperately clutching a bundle of her hair in his hands, as if trying to hold her there. "We need you."   
He took a deep shuddering breath, and hastily brushed away the tears on his cheeks. "You have to fight, Liz."   
Her eyelids were getting heavier, but he knew that she would not be able to find peace if she were conscious. The pain would not leave her alone, until it had tortured her mind into the same tarnished state her body was in.   
"I love you," he whispered again before he moved his hands from her hair and his other hand up to her face, and concentrated hard on the connection.   
  
As if it were a twig, he broke her only thread to consciousness, and the pain ended. 

-------------------------------------------

  
  
"What's going on?" Michael asked as he stepped into the tent.   
"Mommy..."   
The anguished wail made his head snap into the direction of the curled up girl.   
"She's talking?" he asked, a hint of hope in his voice, as he shifted his eyes to Isabel.   
"Yes," Isabel said breathlessly, "But I think she's in pain."   
"I'm getting Max," Michael said.   
Isabel only nodded, her eyes once again glued to the little girl, who had now begun to writhe on the mattress, as if the material were burning against her skin. Isabel crept closer with the intention of pulling her into her arms, when she stilled, the whimper dying on her lips. The tent fell eerily silent as Emma's eyes once again became blank and unseeing. As if her connection to the real world had just dissipated, vanishing into thin air. 

----------------------------------------------

  
  
"Max, you gotta come..." Michael's voice tailed off as his eyes landed on Max. Max looked up at him, face wet with tears and eyes red, before turning back to Liz again and reluctantly letting go of her hand.   
"What is it, Michael?" he asked hoarsely.   
Michael's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You need to see Em..." then a thought occurred to him and he frowned, "What happened with Liz?"   
Max had risen to his feet at the mention of his daughter and was already walking towards Michael. His steps were tired, but his body had another sort of lightness than usual, which only further confirmed Michael's suspicions.   
"What's wrong with Emma?" Max asked.   
  
"Did Liz wake up?" Michael asked.   
Max stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Liz. He inhaled deeply as he turned his head back to Michael and warily rubbed his hand over his face, noticing that he had been crying.   
"Yes..." he said softly.   
Michael had expected that answer, but it still surprised him. "What? How? Is that even... Is she..."   
"I had to make her unconscious again," Max whispered.   
Michael looked at his tortured friend. "Did she speak?"   
"No," Max answered quietly, "She couldn't. The pain was too...there was too much pain. I could feel it, but only a fraction and it was enough to almost make me pass out." Max met Michael's eyes. "I had to knock her out. She couldn't go on with that pain. It's better that she doesn't feel anything at all."   
  
Michael could see in his eyes how much that decision had torn him up. Max would probably have endured the pain through the connection, he just couldn't bear to see Liz in so much pain.   
"But isn't this a good thing?" Michael asked.   
Max closed his eyes. "I hope so," he whispered. "I hope this momentary consciousness is progress...and not her...her...saying...goodbye."   
"Hey man," Michael said gently, putting a comforting hand on Max's shoulder. "She wasn't."   
Max looked up at him and Michael saw disbelief, but also hope in his eyes. Max wanted to believe him, but life had dealt him so many evil hands in the last weeks that he had difficulties believing in the good. That anything good could happen for a change.   
"She isn't," Michael corrected himself. Max stared at him, before tiredly nodding.   
Max's eyes drifted to the opening of the tent. "What about Emma?"   
"I think she felt the pain too," Michael said, having put it all together.   
"What do you mean?" Max asked, his voice an emotional mixture of fear and guilt.   
"They have a connection-"   
His voice was cut off by Max's departure from the tent. 

----------------------------------------------------

  
  
"She was awake, Max," Isabel said as Max entered the tent. Max strode up to Emma with determination.   
"What happened?" Isabel asked worriedly as she saw the tear stains on Max's cheeks and his haggard looks.   
"Liz woke up," Michael said from the opening.   
"What?" Isabel cried out, looking between Max and Michael. "Is she okay?"   
"No..." Max whispered as his hand threaded through Emma's hair. "Come here, baby."   
  
Gently, Max turned Emma's stiff body towards him and pulled her into his lap. Isabel stared at them in awe. She had known that Max was more successful in reaching out to Emma then she and Michael were, but she didn't know that Emma would let herself be touched that much.   
Max wrapped his arms around Emma's body and slowly started rocking her. He placed a tender kiss on the top of her head. With new tears rolling down his cheeks, he murmured words of comfort and love in her ear. Isabel rose and pulled Michael with her. Michael had to give her an update on what had happened with Liz.   
  
They quietly left the tent, but Max probably wouldn't have heard them even if they had been noisy. He was lost in his own world. A world of memories. A world of happy laughter and beautiful smiles. A world of comforting hugs and gentle caresses. A world of kisses and love. A world that was slowly dying. Slipping through his hands like sand.

TBC…


	52. Book 2 Chapter 19

Hi y'all!

Thank you sooo much for the feedback!! Here's the next chapter!

**Chapter 19**   
  
"Max?" Serena timidly looked into the tent. She was expecting to find him there, where he had spent most of his waking, and sleeping, hours lately. Watching over Liz. She was surprised when she found Liz to be alone. Her shallow breathing echoed in the silence of the tent and Serena turned to leave when she stopped. Max hadn't let anyone near Liz the last couple of days. He was guarding her with his simple presence. He hadn't exactly spelled out to them that they weren't allowed to visit Liz. It was something in his demeanor, in the way he was always with her, which made the others automatically leave him alone. It was like it was something too private, too personal, to disturb.   
  
Finding Liz all by herself made a curiosity build within Serena and she found herself turning around towards the mattress again. She knew that she might be treading dangerous ground, but no one in the camp had been given the faintest clue about Liz's condition. Max had forbidden the physician they'd had at the beginning to get even five feet within Liz, since one of the physicians had made the foolish mistake of hinting that Liz should be kept alive merely for the purpose of keeping the child inside of her alive.   
  
It was simply her duty to her people to find out how Liz was doing, Serena told herself as she approached the mattress. Liz's health was directly correlated to Max's strength and ability to start focusing his attention on his people and rebuilding Antar, something that he had completely ignored. He hadn't attended any meetings, Michael had attended them in his place instead. Max had not shown any interest at all that he wanted to help the people who were now hopefully waiting for him to help them to their feet.   
  
Referring to the facts she had heard from Michael and Isabel about Max, and also due to the person she had judged him to be from her own observations, she had really tried to justify Max's lack of interest in his people, but still it infuriated her. How a mate could mean more to him than a whole race of people was beyond her. She had tried to understand. She had tried to put herself in the same situation, if something like that would have happened to Aldonis, but she couldn't. She wouldn't have dropped her responsibility, ignored her duty, like that, even if she cared a lot for Aldonis.   
  
She came to a halt beside the mattress, staring down in the face of the person Max would sacrifice everything for, even his own life, and she gasped. Because it was really Liz's face she was looking at. Not only her closed and bruised eyelids and her parched dry lips, but her whole face. The band aids were gone and her skin had none of the awful blisters she had tried to take care of just after she and Max had been brought to the medical tent after Khivar's attack existed. It was like they had never been there. Her skin was flawless. With her mouth gaping in a mixture of awe and surprise, Serena took a hold of the comforter and started to pull it downwards to take a look at the rest of Liz's body.   
  
"Serena."   
She visibly jumped and jerked her head into the direction of the voice, her hand guiltily moving away from Liz. She already knew who it would be before her eyes landed on his hard facial expression.   
"Max," she said, trying to appear calm, but his appearance had been too sudden and she had been too attentive to what she would find when she pulled down the comforter, that her voice was just a notch to high.   
"What are you doing?" Max asked. His voice betrayed nothing. It was as cool as everything about him lately. Serena quickly pulled herself together and took a step away from Liz.   
"I didn't know that she had healed so much," Serena said, deciding to confront him with it, "Why haven't you told us? She must be doing better. She looks better."   
"The superficial wounds are easy to heal," Max answered. He hadn't moved since she had turned her eyes to him and now he was just calmly observing her. Serena couldn't put her finger on what that meant. Was he angry with her? Did he want her to leave? Narrowing her eyes she decided that he was resigned, even a little relieved that she had forced him to tell her this.   
"What about the internal wounds?" Serena asked slowly.   
Max met her gaze straight on, trying to appear collected, but one thing Serena had learnt about Max was that he had very expressive eyes, which always betrayed the truth. Especially when it came to Liz. Max was very bad at keeping his feelings for Liz secret.   
"She is much better," he answered.   
  
Serena wondered why he hadn't answered her question directly, but instead given her an answer to another question, but she bit her lip to stop herself from asking him about that. She had a feeling that Max's trust in her was already on shaky ground, and she really shouldn't do anything further to jeopardize that.   
"How about the baby?"   
A flicker of hope passed in Max's eyes before he answered, "They are perfect."   
Serena started nodding in relief, when the meaning of his words hit her. "Wait... Why did you say? 'They'?"   
"Twins," Max answered, a soft smile playing in the corners of his mouth.   
"Twins?" Serena repeated dumfounded. Her brain was working overload trying to find out just what twins were. Somehow, Liz was going to give birth to several babies at the same time. She was carrying several babies at the same time.   
"How is that possible? Is it two babies?" Serena asked.   
Max's facial expression softened some at her stunned expression. "I found it out this morning. I was just with Emma, telling her that she would be having two baby brothers."   
  
"But that's not even possible," Serena said, shaking her head.   
"How's that?" Max asked. He started to move towards Liz, as if the mere mention of the babies resting inside the warmth of her protective uterus made him want to be near her and touch her.   
Serena watched him take Liz's hand, a hand that now had no bandage, and lovingly pushing a strand of her dark hair away from her forehead. The gesture made Serena forget what she was talking about. She had never seen anything like it. And he had only brushed away her hair. It had been so tender and on one level so very intimate it made her throat clog up and she had to swallow to clear her throat to be able to speak again.   
"We...we can't have two babies at the same time," Serena said absently, her eyes fixed on the tender caresses Max's hand made on the healed skin of Liz's cheek.   
"You can't?" Max asked, looking up at Serena. He only seemed mildly surprised, like details like that didn't matter to him since he was certain that he and Liz were having twins.   
"No..."   
  
"Humans can," Max said, his eyes moving to Liz, and unbothered by Serena's presence he bent forward and placed a gentle kiss on Liz's forehead. Serena had to turn away. The picture it made was just as heartbreaking as it was achingly beautiful.   
Just like that it hit her and she looked back at Max. Her eyes moved over his relaxed face and his warm eyes, lingering on the soft private smile playing on his lips, made it all more clear to her. There was something he wasn't telling her. There was a hidden happiness in him and she didn't think that it only had to do with the news of his babies.   
"But when I examined her and found out about the pregnancy, I only felt one presence. There was only one."   
Max met her eyes again and nodded thoughtfully. "I thought about that too and I think that it was too early in the pregnancy for you to be able to pick up two energies. And one of them is smaller than the other. His energy can have been so weak you didn't register it or just assumed it was something different."   
"But... are you sure you can have two babies in the same pregnancy?"   
Max actually smiled at this and Serena could feel a weird feeling of happiness in the center of her heart. During the short, albeit intense, time period she had known Max she had never seen him smile. Not like this.   
  
"Feel," Max said simply.   
"Pardon me?" Serena looked at him in a mixture of confusion and curiosity.   
Max reached out with his hand across Liz's body and took Serena's hand in his. Too stunned to speak, Serena wordlessly let Max move her hand towards Liz's body while his other hand moved away the comforter and revealed the skin of Liz's stomach. As on her face, there was no trace of the blisters and wounds on her stomach. Her stomach had grown, stretching out around the fetus it was shielding. Max put her hand down on Liz's stomach and repeated, "Feel."   
  
So Serena did. She let her energy pour into Liz and let her mind melt with the functions of Liz's body. She allowed Liz's bloodstream to appear in front of her and she watched the nerve impulses skitter from one nerve cell to another. Her energy was not the same as Max's. She couldn't surge energy into someone's body with the purpose of sharing that energy with the other person. She couldn't heal. She could only pour her energy into someone to be able to read its bodily functions and, after she was done, pull the energy back to her own body.   
  
She expertly moved through the organs in Liz's body, but their condition was barely registered, in order to reach the main point of interest for this examination. Two life energies came to her with full force, so strong and so pure that she had to take a mental deep intake of breath to calm the awe. She was filled with the warmest feeling she had ever felt. It filled every corner, every cavern of her heart, mind and body. The feeling was so great it didn't take her long to figure out what it was. Love.   
  
Next she encountered something like a great stonewall, its appearance so sudden that she abruptly lost the connection. Max was watching her when she opened her eyes and was catapulted back to reality. She took a shaky breath, trying to get the intense feelings she had experienced down to a more Antarian level. That is, almost non-existent.   
"Did you feel them?" Max asked.   
She nodded, being too shaken to talk. Max nodded and looked at Liz. Serena followed his tender look and having the emotions still raging inside of her she suddenly had no difficulty at all understanding why Max would sacrifice everything for Liz and his family. That feeling - love - had been the greatest feeling she had ever felt. She realized that it was something like that she felt for Aldonis, but that was only a faint whisper in comparison to what she had felt from the unborn babies Liz was carrying. Love children. They had been filled with the love Liz and Max felt for each other. They were pulsating with pure love. Serena felt the urgency to embrace these new feelings, but she knew that the years of repressing those same emotions couldn't be undone that easily.   
  
"I..." she cleared her throat, "I was stopped by some kind of wall..."   
"It was a block," Max answered.   
Serena frowned. "A block?" Then it hit her. "Did Khivar put it there? Is that why she is still unconscious?"   
"I put it there," Max said quietly.   
"You?" Serena looked at him confused. "Why would you put a block on her mind?"   
Max took a deep breath and Serena saw him tighten his grip on Liz's hand. "She was in so much pain."   
"When she woke up?" Serena had heard about Liz's brief moment of consciousness.   
Max nodded. "I put a block on her mind to keep her from waking up. Until I have her completely healed." He looked up at Serena, his eyes shimmering with pain. "She was in so much pain..."   
"Have you been able to heal her completely?" Serena wondered. She vaguely registered the haggard looks of Max. He looked like a living dead. He was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and he still limped, something that should have healed on its own a long time ago. Liz looked healthier than he did and Serena silently wondered how much of his energy Max had been feeding Liz every day. Probably everything he could give her before he passed out.   
"Almost," Max whispered. There was guilt in his voice, expressing his feeling of helplessness over not being able to do more than he was already doing.   
  
Serena really hated to bring this up, but the others were wondering and time was quickly slipping away. "Max, we have to talk about Antar. What are you planning on doing?"   
Max looked up at her, his whole body going tense. "I haven't planned anything."   
"The people are counting on you to help them."   
"I don't want to be a king. I want nothing more to do with this planet. As soon as Liz is completely healed, we will be going home. To Earth."   
Serena stared at him. "You can't mean that. You cannot abandon your people like that! They have been waiting for this for too long. You will be leaving them without someone to lead them."   
"I helped them the best I could, with Khivar," his voice hardened at the mention of his enemy's name, "My family almost died because of it! It's more than I ever wanted. I never wanted to come to this planet anyway. The only reason I came here was because Khivar took Emma and we had to get her back."   
Serena's mouth was hanging open in frightened surprise. She had known that Max's interest for Antar and its people was mild, but not that it wasn't there at all.   
"Don't you feel any obligations at all towards your people?" Serena accused.   
  
Max looked her firmly in the eyes and said slowly, "Leadership shouldn't be about obligations. I cannot rule Antar only because it's my duty to do so. Antar needs someone who is willing to fight for the people. Someone who is willing to rebuild the planet. Serena, I don't know the Antarian people and I hate to say it, but I don't feel enough for the Antarians to lead them. Earth is my home. I belong with humans. I cannot speak for Isabel and Michael, but I doubt that they want to stay here. They have lives back on Earth," he looked at Liz and added softly, "We all do."   
"You can't do this, Max! It's your destiny-"   
Max jerked his head up at her choice of words, "This is _not_ my destiny. Antar is not my destiny. It might've been Zan's destiny, but my destiny is on Earth. My destiny is Liz and my family."   
Serena clenched her fists as a strong urge of some feeling built inside of her. It might have been anger. It might have been hurt. She didn't know for sure because she had never felt it before.   
"This is why you shouldn't let your emotions rule you," she said through gritted teeth.   
Max stared at her like she had grown a second head. "Things like duty and obligation really don't mean anything, Serena. It is forced. Do you want your people to be ruled by someone who feels forced to rule them? Who feels _obligated_ to rule them?"   
  
"You are the right man to do it. You have the right abilities for it. I've seen them."   
"It's the heritage from Zan," Max whispered, "It's not who I am. It's a part of who I am, but I'm not only a leader. I never chose to be."   
"Faith chose you."   
Max shook his head, and said firmly, "No. Faith gave me the qualities, but it's up to me what I do with them. Just because someone can sing doesn't mean that person will become a singer."   
Serena could feel something bubbling inside of her, wanting to erupt. To explode. She wanted to yell at him, shake him. Make him understand that he had to guide his people or they would perish.   
"This isn't about some singing career-"   
"No," Max interrupted. "This is my life. This is my family's life. I don't want my children to grow up here. I want them to be able to see blue sky, see fields of sunflowers, bathe in the ocean. I want them to feel safe and not be followed around by bodyguards because a follower of Khivar will seize any opportunity it can to kill them. I want them to meet their grandparents. I want to see them grow up, go to school, graduate, get married..."   
  
"Those are just wishes, Max. We all have them, but sometimes dreams don't come true-"   
"Is it too much to ask that I want my children to be safe?" She could hear that he was getting angry.   
"No," she answered.   
"I haven't decided on what to do about Antar yet, Serena. But I will not just leave it to its mercy. If I cannot lead your people, I will find someone who will."   
Serena knew that she should probably feel a little relieved by his promise, but they had been waiting for him to rule Antar for so long. Who should rule Antar if he wouldn't?   
"Who?"   
Max looked her directly in the eyes when he answered, "I have someone in mind."   
"Someone?"   
Max took a deep breath, his gaze drifting to Liz. "Serena, are we finished? I will concentrate on that later. Just not right now."   
Serena had so much more she needed to talk to him about, but was frustrated when she realized that she had to leave Max alone now.   
  
"Is it... Is Liz's present condition a secret, or may I inform the men?" she asked, as she stood up.   
Max eyes traced Liz's facial features as he contemplated her question. "It is a secret for now," he answered after some seconds had passed. "I want to talk to Michael and Isabel first."   
Serena nodded and then halted when something struck her. Max hadn't told Michael and Isabel about the babies. He had only had the chance to tell Emma. The fact that he had told her before he had told Michael and Isabel made a warm feeling settle over her heart.   
"Okay," she whispered.   
With a last look at Max and his soul mate, she quietly left the tent.   
  
TBC...


	53. Book 2 Chapter 20

_Hi all!_

_I'm so sorry for leaving you high and dry like this. School is being a drag and I don't have much time to write. In a desperate attempt to make up for my absence I have two chapters for you. Thank you so much for the feedback!!!_

**Chapter 20 **  
  
  
_"Mommy?"   
"Darling, you have to stay here. Stay quiet. It's like that game we taught you. You remember that game?"   
"Yes."   
"Good girl."   
The room vibrated with the ominous sound of the thick wooden door being forced open. The young mother quickly scrambled to her feet, so that she wouldn't reveal her daughter's hiding place. Her mate put up his hands in front of him in an act of surrender and apprehensively, albeit calmly, started talking, "Just tell us what you want and we will-"   
There was a loud deathly sound and the little girl could hear her mother scream -- a scream ending in a death rattle as her soul was being torn from her body. The little girl put her hands over her ears, the tears streaming down her cheeks, as she tried to block out all the sounds that followed. How her mother was beaten to the ground and how the men forced themselves on her until she was begging for mercy.   
  
And then they had her killed._   
  
  
She bolted up from the painful sleep, her hand automatically moving to her left in the search of the person who could comfort her. Her hand met nothing but the cool material of the sheets. No one else had slept beside her tonight. She brought the comforter closer around her body, trying to reduce the trembles. Her body started rocking to still the fear surging through her and the endless stream of tears running down her cheeks. Painfully, she tried to block out the emotions. Think of something else. But tonight it wasn't working. Maybe it was because Max had looked at Liz so tenderly that it had reminded her of how her own mother used to be. Or maybe it was because Max had announced that he would be abandoning the Antarians, shredding their last piece of hope.   
  
With a strangled sob, she crawled out of bed. She needed some air. She couldn't go back to sleep, or the nightmares would continue to haunt her. Pulling another shirt over her head, she stepped out into the cool night. Her eyes drifted to the sky, which had taken on a tint of dark green, almost black. The soft and warm red Xerios, the dying sun, always provided her with comfort. But not tonight. Tonight she couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful Antar used to be. How free and friendly. She had only been a little girl when her parents had been killed and Khivar had taken power. But she could still remember the time before her life was drastically altered, before she was forced to go underground and change her identity. The tears stilled on her cheeks, making her feel cheeks dry in the night air. The camp was silent. Almost everyone was asleep. She noticed some guards in the fringes of the camp, but they knew better than to leave their posts and come and ask her how she was doing. Not that Antarians did that anyway. They didn't know how. They barely showed any feelings, and didn't feel any either. Thus, they had no clue to how to deal with them if someone lost their control.   
  
Absently observing the sun spots on Xerios, she wondered if Antar had ever been anything like Earth. If Antarians had been like Earthlings. Some days, the longing to be able to feel real emotions and not be restrained to show them, made her ache. On other days, she was grateful that she didn't have to deal with any of the turbulent emotions she had seen the hybrids harboring. Once, Antarians had been able to feel. They had committed to each other because they loved each other, not because it was convenient or the genes were right for copulation. Once, people had been free and happy. They had been laughing, crying, hugging, and smiling. They had been alive.   
  
She shivered. Not because of the coldness of the still night. The memories haunted her.   
"Serena?"   
She jumped at the sound, spinning around. She visibly relaxed when she saw who it was, but mentally admonished herself for letting her guard down.   
"Isabel."   
"I couldn't sleep, and I thought I heard someone-" Isabel started, walking out of the shadows towards Serena. As Serena turned her face more fully towards Isabel and the dim red light from the sun fell over her face, Isabel's voice trailed off.   
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, watching the tears on Serena's cheeks.   
Serena quickly turned her head away. She had forgotten the physical signs of her turbulent inner state. "Yes," she answered quickly. She bent her head and rubbed the lingering tears off her cheeks.   
There was a pause and she could feel Isabel's eyes on her.   
"Are you sure?" Isabel finally asked.   
"Yes," Serena answered, the professional and emotionless nuance of the voice she usually used slowly reinstating itself as she fought to recompose herself.   
  
They stood next to each other as the silence fell over them.   
"You miss home, don't you?" Serena asked.   
Isabel turned her head and observed Serena's profile. "Yeah," she answered quietly.   
"Do you… do you have someone there waiting for you?" Serena asked tentatively.   
Isabel couldn't hide the surprise on her face as she looked at Serena. That was a question she had never anticipated Serena would ask.   
"Yeah," Isabel answered, turning her head to look off into the distance, her thoughts lingering on that particular person waiting for her on Earth. "At least I hope so."   
Now it was Serena's time to be surprised. "You're not sure?"   
Isabel shifted her eyes down to her feet, an insecure smile grazing her lips. "Well, we were… Alex and I were never really together…"   
"Alex?"   
  
Isabel's smile warmed and she met Serena's eyes. "Yes, Alex."   
She spoke his name with gentle softness, which made a distant and bittersweet smile form on Serena's lips. Right now at this moment, she would give anything to feel what Isabel felt whenever Alex was brought up.   
"He's always had this crush on me," Isabel said softly, "At least that's what Liz tells me."   
"Crush?" Serena asked, the word not sounding familiar to her.   
"Oh sorry," Isabel apologized, "He has had these, you know, romantic feelings about me for ages." Receiving an understanding nod from Serena, Isabel continued, "And I never noticed him. He was like a fly on the wall. I was too caught up in everything going around me. In keeping my secret safe, I was too blind to see what a wonderful person he was. I guess the circumstances forced me to get to know him and I've never been more grateful."   
"What happened?" Serena asked.   
  
Isabel's eyes took on a far-away expression, as she remembered things that had happened a long time ago, in another time, because that's what it felt like. She had been so different then, everything had been so different.   
"There is this restaurant in Roswell, where we live on Earth, called the CrashDown. It is owned by Liz's father, and Liz was helping out there as a waitress. Consequently, Max spent all his free time there."   
"Really?" Serena asked interested.   
Isabel rolled her eyes at the memory playing out inside her head. "Yeah, he was always watching her every move. But he never approached her. Never talked to her, at least, not more than was necessary. You see, we had this pact, Michael, Max and I, to not get involved with humans. It was not safe. It would probably require that we revealed who we were and we didn't trust anyone with that secret."   
  
"What changed?" Serena asked. She could understand the secrecy Michael, Isabel and Max had lived with. The double life they had been forced to lead. She had been forced to do the same. She had been forced to hide who she really was to keep herself from getting killed. Up to this day, not even Aldonis knew her real origin. He knew about her nightmares, but he didn't know the cause of them. She had never told him. The fear had stopped her, even if she had wanted to. God, had she wanted to tell him everything. But something had held her back.   
"Liz was shot," Isabel said, her eyes darkening. The memory still plagued her. She hadn't been there in the restaurant, but she still got nauseous when she thought back to the arguments she'd had with Max after he had saved Liz's life. It sickened her when she thought about that she had yelled at Max for saving someone's life. She had been so selfish.   
"She was?" Serena asked, her eyes opening wide with fear. She had read about what effects guns could have on the human body.   
  
"Max healed her. Right there in the middle of the restaurant," Isabel continued, "Michael tried to stop him, but not much can get between Max and Liz."   
"I have noticed that," Serena whispered.   
Isabel smiled at her. "Max asked Liz to cover for him, to lie to the Sheriff. He trusted her to do so. She surprised us all when she did. Liz really came through. She stood up for us through everything and she opened up this whole new world to us. She really brought us to life. Max mostly, but each and every one of us were affected by what she did for us."   
"And Alex?" Serena questioned.   
"Liz, Maria and Alex were this really tight-knit group. They've been together since fifth grade or something," Isabel explained. "Liz wanted to keep Max's secret to herself, but Maria was too persistent and I guess Liz really needed someone to confide in, so she told Maria."   
"Maria is…?"   
"Maria is…" a chuckle escaped Isabel at the thought of the spunky blonde, "…she's unique. She and Michael have this really weird hate-love relationship going on."   
"Aha," Serena said, not really understanding what that meant.   
  
"When you see them, you'll know what I mean," Isabel said. "Anyway, Max was in an accident and he was brought to the hospital. We had always worked really hard to stay away from hospitals, because our blood cells are different from humans'. When Max ended up in the hospital, they drew some blood. We quickly had to change the blood sample, so that no one would get their hands on Max's real blood. Problem was, the only humans we had let in on the secret were women and we needed male blood, so Liz had to ask Alex. Alex, being the sweet and loyal friend that he is," Isabel's voice trailed off and she had to bit her lower lip to not give in to the tears threatening to fall, "agreed to let us take a sample of his blood, without any explanations. He just trusted Liz that much. He has this really pure and trusting heart."   
"It seems as if you've been through a lot," Serena mused. Isabel swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to recompose herself. She really didn't want to cry here. Not in front of Serena. They were getting to know each other better, but Isabel wasn't the kind of person that could cry in front of just anyone.   
"Yes, it's been pretty rough," Isabel replied absently.   
  
Serena smiled faintly. Evidently, there was a lot she didn't know about what had happened to Max, Michael, Liz and Isabel on Earth. There was a lot she didn't know about them at all.   
"I should go back to sleep," Serena said.   
Her quiet statement broke Isabel out of her reverie. She reached out with her hand and stopped Serena in the process of turning around. Serena looked at Isabel questioningly.   
"Serena, do you want to talk about it?" Isabel asked, sincere concern in her voice. Something had upset Serena earlier. Even though she was back to being the very controlled Serena, she had been crying earlier.   
Serena met her eyes, her gaze not faltering a bit. "Thank you, Isabel, but I'm just gonna head straight for bed. You should go back to sleep too. We need the sleep."   
Isabel looked at her closely, before letting go off her arm and giving her a resigned nod. "Yeah, you're right. Good night, Serena."   
Serena smiled, but Isabel noticed the trembles in that smile. "Good night, Isabel." 

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Movement.   
  
It was movement that brought him back to consciousness. His head was heavy; his eyes were stinging, and his mouth dry.   
  
There it was again. Something was trying to get his attention and slowly he opened his eyes. As they opened, he felt the material of her gown against his cheek and he instinctively knew where he was.   
  
Right where he belonged.   
  
Something jolted under his head and he was suddenly wide awake.   
  
Lifting his head in agony, he blinked repeatedly to moisten his dry eyes. His eyelids were so heavy and his body cried for him to go back to sleep. But there was something there. Something that was keeping him from going back to sleep. Eyes staring into the darkness engulfing him, he tried to get his thoughts around what had happened before he had lost consciousness. The twinkling of bright light at the outer fringes of his peripheral vision put an abrupt halt to his wandering and lost thoughts. His head moved transfixed towards the light, as fast as it could without it feeling like it was going to explode.   
  
Soft blue light was spreading out from under his hand. Quickly, he snapped it away, afraid that he had hurt her, that in his dazed condition he had lost control of his powers. But the light continued to glow even in the absence of his hand, even though it had lessened some in intensity at his withdrawal. His breathing getting shallow with apprehension and his mouth falling open in awe, he slowly moved his hand back to her stomach and, amazed, watched the light getting brighter the closer his hand got to her.   
  
His heart started to beat faster as he watched the light pulse under his hand, in accordance to the rhythm of a heart. Two hearts. Slowly, he unbuttoned the gown just above the stomach. The light flickered as he placed his palm against her soft skin. His breath caught in his throat when he could feel the energy being emitted from underneath his hand. He could feel a presence tugging at his consciousness, bringing something that had been dormant back to life. Something that had been forced into sleep when Liz had run out on that battlefield. Everything that was truly her. Her mind, her soul, her smile, her laughter. All that remained was her tired body and the sound of forced breathing.   
  
The light coming from her stomach was the first real sign that Liz still existed in this world and that the children she was carrying were still being nourished, were still breathing, growing and living. Now they were reaching out for him. He had never experienced this with Emma and he couldn't help but feel a sting of sadness as his thoughts momentarily trailed to all of the other things he had missed. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensations he could feel starting to evade his mind. Somehow his sons seemed able to initiate a connection with him. He relaxed and opened his mind, trying to assist their weak, yet instinctive search for him.   
  
A wave of something powerful washed over him, making his breath hitch in his throat, feelings, so intense, his mind was overwhelmed. Feelings, so raw, simple and true, his heart ached with emotion. He could feel their happiness at connecting with him, their simple wonder and their childish questions. He took a deep breath and let the oxygen flow down into his lungs again and he smiled. A peaceful, hopeful smile bringing forth tears in his eyes. They were not talking to him, not in words, but they were nonetheless communicating with him with feelings. They were telling him that they were fine and that their mother was fine. They were wondering about the feelings of self-doubt, guilt and grief in his heart. Feelings they could yet not understand, still pure at heart and untouched by the harsh world outside the protective womb of their mother.   
  
His fingers, which had been resting calmly against her stomach, fluttered with emotion as another presence broke into the first connection between a father and his children. His eyes snapped open and the light illuminating her skin pulsated with renew intensity. Instinctively, he angled his head to her face, finding her looking at him.   
"Liz…"   
"Hey," she whispered.   
The hand resting on her stomach not leaving its position, he turned his body facing her and leaned forward to move his free hand through her hair. Concerned eyes met his and her first comment was about his wellbeing. "You look tired." Her voice was weak, but it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.   
  
A tear left unattended made a slow travel down his cheek as his eyes came to life. Softly caressing her cheek, he whispered, "Welcome back."   
She smiled and something broke inside of him. He fell forward against her chest. His hand left her stomach and moved towards her sides, clutching desperately at the piece of clothing covering her. Her weak arms slowly lifted from their position along her body and were gently placed around him, holding him as his body shook with tears being held back from days of pent up worry and grief, mixed with tears of relief, joy and love.   
"I love you so much," he sobbed against her chest, tears that couldn't be soothed wetting her gown.   
"I love you too," she whispered, her fingers threading through his hair, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes at the misery she was getting from him through the connection. Her mind was still fuzzy. She couldn't quite remember what had happened. There was desperation, a black fear of being abandoned, in Max, and that scared her. The feelings she was getting from him were raw and unshielded. Something she had never experienced from him before. Even with the connection, she knew that there had always been a part of him that he didn't let her see in an attempt to protect her from feelings that he found embarrassing. Feelings that made him ashamed of himself and even at some times made him hate himself.   
  
She could feel her energy returning to her, the more awake she became. Her arms tightened around him and she shifted slightly to the side. As if following a physical law, Max's body shifted along with her and the mattress shifted as he crawled up beside her. She turned on her side, pulling him closer. His hand went around her body, his head coming to rest against the side of her throat, where he could feel the stable beating of her pulse against his cheek. His warm lips brushed against her skin as he whispered against her throat, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."   
His desperate plea for forgiveness surging through the connection emphasizing his words overwhelmed her with sadness and guilt. Her hot tears flowed down her cheeks, disappearing into her hair at the temple. "Shh, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm not leaving you."   
"I'm sorry," he sobbed.   
Her words couldn't get him out of the distressed state he was in. All she could do was be there for him, supporting him, loving him and taking in all his emotions. Feeling him. Really seeing the raw feelings of insecurity, self-doubt and fear in him for the first time, which she had only seen a weak shadow of before.   
"Thank you," she whispered. She had a feeling that Max had done more for her than she could ever begin to imagine. He always did. She just had to prove to him that he did. And she would.   
  
As her arms rocked the man who meant more to her than life itself, memories slowly started to evade her mind. Her thoughts went to her daughter, to her parents, Maria and Alex. The world had fallen into pieces around her, but because a boy loved a girl so purely, Liz Parker had been given a second chance and she was going to take it. Placing a soft kiss on Max's temple, she said softly, "Sleep, Max. I got you. Get some sleep."   
Fear of her not being there when he woke up again kept him awake for another ten minutes, clinging to her. But soon exhaustion overwhelmed him and he stopped fighting it. His hand tightened around her arm as his breathing evened out, hoping that it hadn't all been a dream, but that she would be there when he woke up. 

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Liz slowly drifted out of the mists of sleep and became gradually aware of something pressing down on her. She took a couple of deep breaths before opening her eyes. The bright light of a new day hit her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Her senses were slowly coming back to life. She could hear the wind blowing outside, she could taste the foreign composition of air on her dry lips, and unfamiliar scents swirled around her, mixing up with some very familiar ones. Angling her head to her right, she could feel the beautiful love flood her at the sight. She took a shaky breath of relief and lifted her hand to sift through his hair. He was asleep. His face buried at the base of her neck, his lips resting against her skin. His arm was resting protectively over her stomach. Slowly, she became aware of the weight of something on her left side. She turned her head to see the dark head of her daughter resting on her shoulder.   
  
Her breath hitched in her throat as a sob of surprised relief, joy and sadness erupted from her lips. Tear filled eyes traveled down her daughter's curled up body and her maternal eye worriedly noticed the changes that had taken place in her baby's outer appearance. She was so thin. So small.   
"Baby," Liz whispered, her other hand traveling up to the small of Emma's back. Emma didn't respond at her touch. She was sound asleep.   
"Liz…?"   
Liz turned back to him at the sound of his hopeful voice. She smiled when she met his eyes.   
"Hi," she whispered.   
"Are feeling okay?" Max asked, lifting his head from her chest. She felt the loss immediately.   
"Yes," she smiled.   
Max eyes shifted to his daughter and the surprise on his face brought Liz a tad of confusion.   
"Emma…" Max said softly, with disbelief in his voice, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.   
"Max." Liz's voice prompted him to look at her. "What is wrong with her?"   
Max swallowed at the sadness in her eyes.   
"I can't feel her," Liz whispered, agony seeping through her voice.   
"She…" Max's voice caught in his throat. "She's…"   
Liz could feel fear surging through her, fueling her worst preconceptions of what could've happened to her girl. Emma was alive, but something was very wrong.   
Liz's hand moved to Max's face, cradling his face. "Max…"   
  
Max eye's dropped, but not before she could see the very familiar guilt in them, and his hand captured hers, moving it away from his face. "I failed her, Liz. I couldn't get to her in ti-"   
"No, Max," Liz interrupted, her voice stronger now as it was being fueled with fear, boarding on panic. "What happened?"   
"I don't know. I don't know," Max whispered. Tears of remorse trickled down his face and he moved himself into a sitting position. Liz hold on Emma's body tightened as Max moved away from her. She knew what he was doing. He was closing himself off from her, to keep her from getting hurt, and that was making her even more frightened.   
"When I found her, she wouldn't talk to me. I don't think she even recognized me."   
"No…" Liz whimpered. "What did they do to her?"   
"We haven't been able to contact her at all since we got her back," Max continued, rising to his feet, his hands raking through his hair.   
"Max… Please. What did they do to her?"   
Max turned around and met her teary frightful eyes. "I don't know, Liz. I couldn't get there in time. Those bastards…" his fists clenched in anger and jaw tightened as he looked upwards, trying to regain his control. "Those bastards did something to her… and…"   
Tears were flowing down his cheeks freely now.   
"Max," Liz begged, holding out her hand towards him.   
"I wasn't there…" Max continued. "I wasn't there. And then he hurt you and I thought that you would die. The others were sure you were dead."   
"But you saved me."   
  
Her soft reply put a stop to his spoken anguish.   
"You brought me back, baby."   
"I wouldn't have had to if I had been able to protect you in the first place, if I had just fought harder to make you stay on Earth. God, Liz, I've ruined your life. You should be with someone normal, someone who could give you the safety you need-"   
"But not the love I need," Liz interrupted. "Max, I would've been dead years ago if you hadn't been there. I would never," Liz forced her through the connection to look at her, "_never_ even consider trading my life or you for anything else. Normal is nothing without you, Max. I can't live without you. Don't you understand that? My life means nothing without you. All the things you just said. I want them. God, I want them so much. I want to be safe, and back on Earth. But I want them with you. I would rather kill myself than living without you-"   
Max stepped up to the bed in two long strides. "Don't say that."   
Liz reached out and cradled his face in her hands. "It's what I feel, Max."   
"I want you to be happy," Max whispered, "That's all I ever wanted. This is killing me, to see you here and know what you have to go through just because…because of me and who I am."   
"Stop hating yourself," Liz said softly. Her hands collected the tears falling down his cheeks. He looked at her in disbelief.   
  
"How can you be with me, Liz? All I've ever done is causing you pain. Look at Emma. First, I abandon you to care for her on your own and then I failed to protect her and she was abducted to this place. Now she is barely living anymore because of what those aliens did to her-"   
"Without you, there wouldn't be an Emma," Liz sniffed, "Without you, there wouldn't be a Liz Parker."   
"And without a Liz Parker, there wouldn't be a Max Evans," Max filled in.   
She smiled, her smile transforming into a sob and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.   
"I don't know how I will ever be able to convince you that you mean the world to me, Max," she sniffled against his shirt, "But I have a lifetime to work on it."   
His hands tightened around her.   
"I will give you a normal life, Liz. I promise."   
"I don't want that, Max," Liz said truthfully. "I want a life with Max Evans and somehow I don't think it will be normal."   
She could feel him smile against the side of her throat. "Then I vow to always protect you. I want to spend my life with you, Liz Parker. I want to see our children grow up. Safe."   
"We will, baby. We will."   
He nodded against her throat, so desperately wanting to cling to that piece of hope she was handing to him.   
  
"Did you feel them?"   
He could immediately tell from the happiness in her voice who she was talking about.   
"Yes," he whispered. "They are beautiful, Liz. Just like their mother."   
Liz broke down into tears, thinking about her unresponsive daughter lying beside her. "They are. They truly are."   
She leaned back against the bed, taking Max with her. She let go off him with one hand and instead put it around Emma, pulling her petite body close. Max's arm went around Liz's stomach, his two sons, and his daughter.   
"I love you Liz," Max whispered, still trying to comprehend that she was talking to him again. Returning his hugs. Living. "I love you so much."   
"I love you, Max," Liz said. "More than you'll ever know."   
  
  
TBC...


	54. Book 2 Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**   
  
  
"I want Aldonis to take over."   
  
An intense silence lowered itself over the group. If they had been humans they would probably have been staring at the man responsible of such a shocking announcement with their mouths hanging open in unmistakable disbelief, but the majority of the group didn't consist of humans. Their faces were as blank as a newly washed window. They didn't reveal even the most miniscule trace of whether the information affected them. The only aliens showing some proof that they had in fact heard what had been spoken were Serena and Aldonis himself. Aldonis was looking at Serena, searching her face for proof that he had interpreted the foreign language he was still learning correctly. Serena met his eyes a brief second, shock briefly flashing in her eyes. Emotions were closer within her reach now then they had been before. She wasn't a blank slate any longer.   
  
"And I want Serena to rule by his side."   
  
This caused Serena to slowly rise from her seat, staring at the dark-haired man, standing at the center of the room, with a mixture of barely cooled confusion and suspicion.   
"I don't understand," she said.   
"I'm giving up the throne, but I won't leave this planet to its mercy. I want to see it blossom and come to life. But I am not the right person to do that. My heart isn't in it." His voice softened and he looked at the woman standing next to him. "My heart is with Liz and Earth is our home. That's where we grew up and that's where we want to spend our lives together. A part of me is still Antarian and will always be. I'm not rejecting my heritage. It's because I feel connected to this planet that I don't want to rule it. I want it to be ruled by people who love it and will work for it to be a free place, a democracy. Where people are free to feel again and come to life. And I know that you can do it." He gave Serena a comforting smile. "I can see the future of our people in your eyes, Serena. The person you are starting to become is also what the people will soon discover and look after in their lives."   
  
One of the men rose abruptly and protested coldly, "Your majesty. What exactly do you mean with Serena ruling by Aldonis' side? She is a woman."   
The other men, warriors, around him nodded in agreement. The question had entered everyone's head. A woman was to give support to the husband so that he could do his job. Nothing more.   
Max opened his mouth to object, but Aldonis beat him to it. Standing up, he boldly grabbed Serena's hand. The surprised look on her face revealed how uncommon, almost forbidden, it was to touch your mate in such an affectionate way in public.   
"Serena will rule by my side. She will have the same amount of power as me. We will rule together in unity." Serena looked up at him with astonishment, blinking her eyes rapidly to fight off the impending tears. She wasn't sure if she could trust her eyes any longer.   
The men observed Aldonis mutely, no one saying a word or displaying any emotions. It was only the movement of their eyes that told who of them had accepted Aldonis's statement and who were still hesitant. Some men dropped their eyes and respectfully bowed their heads to their new king, while others still looked at Aldonis with resistance.   
Aldonis shifted his attention to his king and slowly walked up to him, kneeling before him and bowing his head.   
"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty," he said softly.   
"Aldonis, rise," Max said.   
Aldonis looked up, his grey eyes meeting Max's sincere amber ones, before slowly rising to his feet.   
"Listen to me, Aldonis. I don't want you to rule this planet out of obligation or because I said so. I want you to feel it in your heart. I've talked this over with Liz and we feel that you are most fitted for the task of ruling this planet. You are more accustomed to the environment, the culture and the people than I will ever be." Max reached behind him and took Liz's hand in his and emphasized, "But I want Serena with you. The planet needs both of you. Even though I trust you to do the right thing, it's never good to rule all by yourself. You need to listen to the people around you. You need to listen to your people. Sometimes you are wrong and you have to let the people tell you that."   
Aldonis nodded. "You are right, Your Majesty."   
Max couldn't stop himself from smiling. "It's Max, Aldonis. It's you that are the majesty now."   
"You'll always be the righteous king," Aldonis objected.   
Their gazes locked and a silent communication, quickly followed by an understanding between two men scared by battle and years of hiding, in their own respective ways. Max nodded.   
  
"All right." His voice faltered slightly when he felt a shift in his connection to Liz. He turned his head to look at her, finding her with her eyes closed.   
"Liz?" He couldn't help the worry to invade his voice, making it tremble with fear.   
Liz opened her eyes and tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she couldn't quite make it one hundred percent. Her eyes closed again and she blindly reached out with her hand towards Max. The meeting and the other people in the room completely forgotten, Max turned to Liz and grabbed her by her upper arms to support her.   
"Liz, what's wrong?"   
Serena was walking towards them now, wanting to be close if they needed help. Maybe Liz wasn't completely healed after all.   
"It's okay, Max," Liz whispered and looked up at him, "I'm fine."   
"What happened?" Max asked, his worried eyes still searching her face, checking her eyes and the color of her face, while he unconsciously searched through her body through their connection for injuries.   
"It's nothing, Max. It's just the pregnancy." Liz was smiling at him now, but Max was still not calmed by her words.   
"I get dizzy sometimes. It feels a little bit different than with Emma. Maybe it's because it's twins or…"   
Max frowned when her voice trailed off. "Or what?"   
Liz shook her head. "Nothing. It's nothing."   
He knew that she wasn't telling him the whole truth. He could feel her worry through the connection.   
"Are you all right, Liz?" Serena asked.   
Liz turned to her with a soft smile. "Yes, I'm fine."   
  
They returned to the meeting, finishing up the details, and slowly starting to form the new system that would take place instead of the dictatorship that had been keeping the planet in its jaws earlier. But half of Max's attention was on Liz the whole time, and his hold on her hand was just as desperate as it was lasting. When Liz excused herself, needing to go to bed, it was with great reluctance that Max let her go. He wanted to go with her, but he knew that he needed to focus on the meeting first. He realized later that Liz had been able to stay longer, but she knew that he needed to keep focused and he couldn't be the leader he needed to be if so much of his attention was focused on worrying about her. 

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It was dark when Max returned to the tent several hours later. He brushed the opening to the tent to the side and stepped inside as silently as he could. The interior of the tent was as dark as the night outside. His eyes were still trying to accustom themselves to the darkness, so he didn't notice her position until he was up close to the bed. She was lying on her side, her legs pulled up to her chest, one arm around her knees and the other one around Emma, lying beside her. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed the shivers making her body tremble. Her eyes were closed and she seemed asleep, but something was obviously wrong.   
As if death had been hunting him, he quickly crawled into the bed, moving up on his knees next to her curled up form.   
"Liz?" he whispered, brushing a dark strand of hair away from her damp forehead. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. He couldn't feel all of her through the connection and that terrified him more than anything, reminding him of another time when the black darkness of her absence had been enough to suffocate him.   
She didn't react to his voice and his fears skyrocketed. His hands moved to her shoulders as he turned her to her back. Even though his movements were frantic by now, his touch was still gentle.   
"Honey? Liz, wake up."   
The cold hand around his heart lessened its death grip some when Liz moaned softly. He took a hold of her shoulders and gentle shook her.   
"Max?" she murmured, her eyes fluttering open.   
Relief flooded him and he smiled at her. But he couldn't hide the worry that was coursing through him.   
He brushed the hair away from her face, gently cradling her face. The same gesture he had done so many times before. The same gesture he had done the first time he had let her see into his soul. "Baby, are you okay?"   
She blinked sleepily and nodded. "Mhmm."   
"Do you feel nauseous? Are you cold? Are you in pain?"   
His worry washed over her like a cold shower and she was instantly awake. She scooted back up against the headboard, moving up into seated position.   
"Max? What happened? What's wrong?"   
"Are you okay?" Max asked again.   
Liz pulled the poor replica of a comforter up to her chin and frowned. "Yes. What's wrong?"   
"You were shivering," Max said, his fingers tracing invisible lines in her face.   
"I'm a little cold," Liz answered, her voice calm, but it wasn't enough to make Max relax completely. "That's probably why I was shivering."   
Max's broke eye-contact with her just to look down at her stomach, which was still fairly flat, and his eyes followed his hand as he placed his palm against the fabric of the T-shirt covering her stomach.   
  
His worry was so palpable that she would have been able to feel it, even without the mental connection between them.   
"You were so sick when… when Emma…"   
Liz softly interrupted his stuttering fearful voice by capturing the side of his face in her hand, guiding his eyes back to hers. "I didn't have you then. That's why I was sick. I didn't have you. Our connection was severed because of the amnesia and it was hurting me. But now when we have it back, there's nothing to worry about."   
"What about the dizziness?" Max whispered. He desperately wanted to believe her. He desperately wanted to be soothed by her words. But he couldn't help but worry about her. He would probably never stop doing that.   
"It's normal, Max. Many pregnant women experience dizzy spells."   
"The shivering?"   
Liz mustered up a comforting smile. "Honey, that probably had nothing to do with me being pregnant. I was just cold." Her voice taking on a lighter quality, she continued, "Not everyone is immune to temperature shifts you know."   
But her attempt to lighten the atmosphere fell flat to Max's ears. "They are alien… What if they harm you in any wa-"   
"Max," Liz interrupted, more sternly now, "I've already been through one pregnancy and it turned out okay, didn't it?"   
Max swallowed and glanced over at their sleeping daughter, and was for a moment reminded of how Emma had been when he had first met her. So carefree and happy. Now she was just… gone.   
"Do you want to check on them?" Liz asked.   
Max sighed gratefully and nodded. Liz scooted down into the bed until she was flat on her back, before pulling up her gown, exposing her stomach. Taking a deep breath, fear still crawling around in every part of his heart, Max lowered his hand to her skin, feeling the familiar tingle when his palm touched her stomach. He tried to will his beating heart down enough to concentrate on collecting his powers. His worry and fear was only strengthened when he initiated the connection. Something that was often easy to do, was taking a lot of effort. Something was obviously wrong. His hand was shaking as he forced himself to concentrate on the life forces inside Liz's womb. He could feel them responding to his touch, seeking him out. He could feel their essence reaching out to him. It didn't take him long to realize that they were okay. He gentle separated from their souls and broke the connection.   
  
"Are they okay?" Liz asked when he opened his eyes and his body fell back to rest against his heels. He nodded mutely.   
"Max?"   
She could feel that something was wrong, but there was so many emotions being transferred over their connection that she had difficulties distinguishing one from the other.   
"Is something wrong with them?"   
The fear in her words hit him like daggers and he quickly shook his head. "No. No, they're fine, Liz." _But you aren't._   
She looked at him for a long time, trying to read his facial expression.   
"Please don't lie to me," she whispered.   
Max shook his head in denial and pulled her close, gently placing a loving kiss on her forehead. "They are fine, love."   
He pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her. Liz tried to resist him at first, tried to force herself to make him tell her what was wrong, but then his love, mingled with the warmth of his body, protectively surrounded her and she relaxed in his arms.   
"I need you to tell me if something's wrong, Liz," Max whispered against her ear.   
Max's words reminded her of the suspicions, the worries she had felt since she had regained consciousness. She opened her mouth to tell him, but just then she felt Max's arms tighten around her and his fearful and concerned face flashed through her mind, and she couldn't do it. She didn't want to weigh him down with her worries too, when he had enough worries on his own to last him four lifetimes. Besides, her intuition might be wrong this time. It was probably nothing. She was okay.   
  
But even as they lay down together, wrapping up in each other, the dark thoughts wouldn't leave her mind. The fact that the connection to Max was slowly diminishing, like someone was gradually turning down the volume to a speaker, and the fact that she felt so weak, like she wanted to sleep the whole time, were whispering at the back of her head. It took her a long time to fall asleep that night, vividly aware that Max remained awake. 

-----------------------------------------------------

  
  
Liz woke up to someone crying.   
  
Dimly, she pulled herself out of the restless sleep and the first thing she noticed was Max's absence next to her. Her hand automatically searched the empty space to her right, finding the sheet-like material under her fingers still warm.   
"Max?"   
"I'm right here." The response came from her left and she slowly sat up, the darkness clinging to her body. Max was kneeling on the floor, his hand slowly threading through their daughter's dark hair.   
"I think she's dreaming," he said, the sadness making his words sting like acid. "But I can't wake her up."   
Liz fought her way through the helplessness in his voice and reached for the calmness inside of her. The calmness she'd had years to practice on when she could have been panicking about dying and leaving her daughter all alone.   
"Baby," she whispered, gently brushing her fingers against Emma's damp cheek. Emma's eyes were moving rapidly behind her closed eyelids. Perspiration was covering her forehead and her neck. "Wake up, honey."   
Liz could feel Max's eyes on her. She knew that they hadn't been able to contact Emma at all, so he really shouldn't have much faith in her waking up now all of the sudden. But for some reason, Max didn't give up. He didn't give up on the ones he loved. The gaze that was now lingering on her didn't doubt her, it wasn't questioning what she was doing or even considering her stupid for even trying. She could feel the warmth in his gaze. She could feel the belief and trust in her. She could feel the never-ending love and support. He wouldn't stand back and let her do it by herself. She had been forced to fight many battles alone and he wasn't going to make her experience that again.   
  
She raised her eyes to his face, biting her lower lip in an attempt of having the mild pain drown the almost uncontrollable urge to cry. Her child was dying, in their arms, and all they could do was sit by and passively watch.   
"What are we going to do, Max?" she whispered, her words laced with fear and anguish.   
Max looked down at Emma and then reached over his daughter and captured Liz's hand. "We have to go back." The firm squeeze of his fingers around hers enhanced the determination in his voice. "The meeting today was just one meeting and there's still a lot to do before we can leave. I have to make sure that I'm not… I'm not abandoning them."   
Max lowered his eyes in guilt. He felt like he was letting down his family, because he was prioritizing Antar before them.   
"I know you do," Liz said softly. "It's just… it's just so hard. I'm so afraid that every day we just don't do anything, she's going to get worse."   
Max nodded, her words confirming his deepest fears. What if he was racing against time – again – and this time might be his last chance. This might be when he lost the battle, when his daughter would be lost.   
  


---------------------------------------------------------

  
  
  
_Earth__, United States of America, New Mexico, Roswell_   
  
  
"Maria?"   
Alex poked his head through the door, but his searching gaze couldn't find the blonde girl anywhere.   
"Maria? Are you here?"   
Mildly confused, he stepped over the threshold, the almost eerie silence wrapping around him.   
"Maria?"   
She had called him half an hour ago, wanting him to come over for dinner. They had almost made meeting on Friday nights and cooking together into a tradition. It was something to keep each other company and offer silent support. They never touched the subject of the absence of the larger part of the I-know-an-alien club. They had a silent agreement to not discuss it. It was just a relief for them both to be in the presence of someone who knew the truth and knew what the other person was going through.   
  
Life on Earth had been chaos since Maria dropped the bomb on Liz's parents. Well, really she dropped several bombs. Liz being alive. Liz having a child. Max being an alien, as well as Michael and Isabel. Max, the alien, being the father of Liz's child. Finally, telling them that Liz was not really on this planet anymore, because their granddaughter had been kidnapped and taken to another planet. Alex was actually surprised that the Parkers were handling it so well. He was even surprised that Maria was handling it so well. Just the fact that she had gotten herself out of that situation without making a complete mess of everything was just remarkable. It reminded Alex once again of how much they had all been forced to grow up the last couple of days. They had all changed in some way or the other. Their perspective was probably different than other people their age's were. They saw things in a completely different light.   
  
But even taking all the experience and everything they had gone through into consideration, it didn't prevent Alex's heart from speeding up when there still wasn't a response when he called Maria's name. He repeated her name, his voice louder, as he crossed the living room floor, quickly scanning every part of the room after Maria. He pushed the door to her room open and there she was. Sitting on the floor next to her bed, her legs spread out in front of her and photos covering her legs. One of the photos was clutched to her chest and tears were streaming down her face.   
  
Without a word, Alex kneeled next to her, gently gathered the photos and put them away, before guiding Maria into his arms.   
"Shhh…" he soothed, holding her trembling frame in his arms.   
"What if…" Maria hiccupped, "What if they don't… they don't come back."   
"They will, Maria. They will."   
"But what if…what if they don't?" her sobbing voice echoed, reviving the embers of fear deeply hidden in his own heart.   
"We just have to believe that they will," Alex whispered, gently stroking her blonde hair. Her hair had grown during the last couple of months. At the beginning, everything had appeared normal – on the outside. But the interior chaos soon spread to the outside as well and she stopped to care. She didn't apply any make up. She didn't cut her hair. Her hair was hanging loose and she wore sweatpants and sweatshirts everyday. She still went to class, though. It kept her mind occupied.   
"I can't lose her…again, Alex. I just can't."   
"You haven't lost her, Maria. They will be back. She's the smartest girl we know and she's with the smartest guy we know. Together they can do anything. They'll be back. We have to believe that. We have to believe."   
Maria nodded against his shoulder, the photo of Liz, Alex and herself, with a grumpy Michael poking out his head from the kitchen in the background, being pressed against her heart as she tried to seek comfort in Alex's familiar arms. But it wasn't the arms she longed for. It wasn't the arms she missed. It was a good substitute, but it wasn't enough. Not by a light year.   
  
  
  
TBC...


	55. Book 2 Chapter 22

**_Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for leaving you like this and not updating in aaages, but I'm back now and I can instead update with a lot of chapters at once, so that you'll have something to read :-) _**

**_Thank you all so much for your support, understanding and for leaving feedback. It's good to know that I still have some faithful readers left. Thank you!!_**

**_Hugs,_**

**_Jo_**

**Chapter 22**

The mind is a dangerous thing. It can tear you down or it can build you up. Your own mind can turn on you and turn you into something you're not. But is that really its intention? Isn't the mind trying to fight you just because it wants to save you? To help you see things that you've missed, but have been right in front of you the whole time?

Memories. 

Thoughts. 

Feelings. 

All bundled up into a confusing and fearful mixture, playing through your head over and over again. If it gets to be too much, would you be able to handle it? Would you be able to withstand its power? Or would you succumb?

It was the hardest decision known to mankind that was haunting his mind that night: the decision between life and death. He was panicking, but at the same time trying to distance himself. He was trying to make lists, but the lists were destroyed by items that weren't following the system. He was trying to find the facts, what he knew, and then come to a decision. But what he had already known from the beginning was that he would never be able to make a decision. Because there was nothing he could do to make things better.

Facts. 

The only thing he knew with certainty was that something was happening to Liz. He had healed her completely. He had checked on her so many times. Checked every single cell until he was teetering on the brink of deadly exhaustion. There was nothing wrong with her. Nothing physical. What he couldn't get out of his mind was Liz swaying on her legs with her eyes closed, her face pale and her hand reaching out for him to support her. Asking him for his help. What he couldn't forget was how she had been shivering and sweating in bed earlier that same night. Even though there was nothing physically wrong with her, nothing wrong with her body, there was something working inside of her that was slowly destroying her.

_"But if it's a power, why is it hurting her?" __  
__"It's probably due to the fact that she is human, and her body can't handle the power." __  
__"But a power is supposed to help you, to protect you." __  
__"In an alien body, where the powers are integrated into the DNA, they do." __  
__"But in a human body the powers are treated like a virus, and thus act like a virus."_

The memories invaded his mind. They had always been lurking at the back of his head, but when Emma had been taken, he had pushed them away, because Liz had seemed better.

_"The one thing I could resemble it to would be the human disease HIV. As the powers are progressing and are starting to become stronger or more rooted in your system, your body will not be able to control it and the immune system will break down, just like in the last stages of HIV-" _

All he could think about was Liz's pregnancy. He loved those children inside of her already. It would be so physically easy to move his hand to her stomach and end the children's existence. But the ease with which his hand could move towards her stomach didn't equal the difficulty he would have actually doing it. How was he supposed to choose between his children and the love of his life? He knew, deep inside of him, that the babies were harming her. He knew that, just because they were alien, they were eating away at her body from the inside out, just like Emma had. But Emma was just one person. Now Liz was carrying two.

Either Liz would die or he would have to kill the lives inside of her. It was not an obvious decision. Not at all.

His eyes closed against the darkness of the night, reaching for the darkness inside his mind. Not for the first time, and probably not for the last time, he cursed his own faith. He cursed the fact that he was not human and that he had put Liz in such great peril. If only he had been able to control himself and stay away, she wouldn't had been on another planet in another solar system, with one apathetic child and two alien children harming her body while she was carrying them in her womb.

Fighting against the deep dark hole inside of him, which was flooded with acidic guilt, he turned towards her and buried his head in the crook of her neck, feeling the soft texture of her hair against his cheek, and breathed her in. His hand slowly, almost guiltily for what he had been thinking, came to rest on her stomach, resting on the lives which were unintentionally harming her.  
"I'm so sorry, Liz," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

When Max's breathing evened out into a troublesome sleep, Liz's eyes opened and she swallowed back the fear and the tears. His guilt-ridden words were echoing in her ears and she pulled him closer to her. Things were falling apart around her. Max and her connection, Emma… Max. Like Max had mentioned before; they had to go back. Back to Earth. Back to Roswell. Otherwise they wouldn't survive.

-------------------------------------------------------

":..would like to present to you, your new king…"

"…leaving. My home is on a planet called Earth…"

"…with my mate and my children. There will be means to contact me, but if I were you, I would put my faith in Aldonis and Serena's hands. They are good people and they…"

"…do just fine, Serena. I trust you and Aldonis. You are the right people for…"

"…with Liz? Is she sick? She looks pale…"

"…leaving tomorrow…"

"…communicators. This is how we will be able to stay in touch with each other. Just in case…"

"…let them feel again. Your society isn't worth much without feelings…" 

"Thank you, Max and Liz, for everything."

"…take care of her, Max. She doesn't look well."

The days passed in a flash of confusion for Max and Liz. Max was trying to make sure that he wasn't leaving Antar to the universe's mercy by leaving too soon. He had meetings every day, came home to Liz in the night and collapsed out of fatigue on the bed. Liz was trying to keep his hopes up by pretending that she was okay, even though the connection between them was slowly getting weaker and Emma's condition wasn't improving. Emma was still an empty shell, like her soul had escaped her. She wasn't responding to anything and she was asleep most of the time. Liz had constructed something similar to diapers and put on Emma, because she wouldn't go to the toilet. They had to force her to eat and it was mostly something similar to soup, because the task of just getting her to eat was strenuous enough. Getting her to chew was close to impossible.

It was Michael, Serena and Isabel who were keeping everyone going. Without their discreet support, Max and Liz probably wouldn't have made it. Michael was helping Max as much as he could, trying to ease the heavy burden of responsibility weighing down on his shoulders. Isabel was assisting Liz with Emma as much as she could. She had gotten Liz to promise not to lift Emma on her own, since she was pregnant.

It was with deep relief that they stepped onto the ship that would take them back to Earth that day. They were all worn and exhausted, like soldiers coming home from several years of war. But it wasn't their bodies that had battled, it was their hearts; their souls. Memories, which would never completely disappear, had been engraved into their minds as a constant reminder of what had happened. The questions of their origin had been answered, but the answers hadn't been satisfactory. Nevertheless, the whole experience had made them look upon Earth in another way. It was their home and they never wanted to leave it again. They were finally going home.

---------------------------------------------------

_Earth, The United States of America, New Mexico_

He never thought he would be here again. The last months he had spent on Antar he had actually started to believe that he would never return. But he was so close now. He was so close to her. To his home. He had never understood the true meaning of belonging somewhere until he met Maria. Even though he had thought for a long time that Max and Isabel were the only ones who ever could understand him, they never could. They had what he was missing. They had a family who loved them. They were accepted. They never had to be ashamed of their background. They had something to fall back on. He had had nothing until Maria came along. She was just what he needed. Even though he was resistant at the beginning, god was he resistant, she didn't give up. She fought for him, but she never let him know that she was fighting for him. If she had let him know just how much she cared for him and how much she wanted to be a part of his life, he would have run away so fast that she wouldn't have even been able to see the dust in his wake.

He kept letting her down. He kept hurting her, yelling at her, turning his back on her, but for some reason she always came back. Maybe it was just the competitive streak in her that never would allow him to win and to get his way, or maybe she actually had some feelings for him. It wasn't until he had left with Max, to help him as his second in command, that he realized how much she had come to mean to him too. Life on Antar would have been so much easier to endure if she had been by his side. He had lain awake at night, longing to bicker with her. He woke up in the morning with the memory of her kiss tingling on the surface of his lips.

But then he looked at Liz and Max and what they were going through, and he was happy that Maria was only with him on Antar in his dreams and memories. He didn't want anything to break that spirit inside of her and Antar might have been the force to kill it as it had almost done with Max and Liz. His eyes drifted away from the road and he looked in the rearview window at Max and Liz in the backseat.

Liz was sick.

It wasn't just the pregnancy. Liz might have been able to fool them in the beginning, but anyone could see by now that the pale pallor of her skin and the dark circles under her eyes wasn't a consequence of a normal pregnancy. She was asleep; her body curled up next to Max's. To the outside observer, Max could've been taken for being asleep as well, but Michael knew that he wasn't. He was resting, but he wasn't asleep. He hadn't slept for days and it was the worry for Liz and Emma that was keeping him up. Michael had known Max for a long time and didn't take him long to figure out that something was gnawing on Max's conscience. It wasn't just about Liz's health anymore, there was something else. Like a decision hung heavily on his shoulders.

Emma wasn't any better.

She was curled up against the door in the backseat. At first, when Liz had been awake, Liz had held her close, but as Liz had drifted off to sleep, Emma had curled up away from her parents. As if she couldn't handle their presence.

Michael caught the tightening of Max's arm around Liz even before she moaned quietly. The incident that had occurred as they had stepped off of the ship was something he never wanted to experience again. Liz had gone into some state of shock, choking and her lips turning blue as she tried to breathe. Michael had felt the change in the atmospheric pressure as well. The composition of oxygen and carbon dioxide was a little bit different on Antar in comparison with the composition on Earth. But even though Michael had felt a little light-headed, it wasn't even close to the reaction Liz had. It could have been an alien thing, and that's why Emma didn't react either. But it scared Max. Michael had seen the raw fear in Max's eyes and in that exact moment, when looking into his old friend's eyes, he had understood what Max was going through. He had understood his fear, the panic and the feeling that he couldn't do anything to prevent whatever was happening from happening.

Max had given Liz mouth-to-mouth, because even if the air was there, she couldn't get enough of it into her for some reason. It had been six terrifying minutes before Liz took a deep breath and started breathing on her own again. Michael had gotten them a rental car and they had only spent two minutes in the car before Liz had fallen asleep.

Isabel was sitting in the passenger seat. Her eyes were following the white line on the road, but her gaze was unseeing. Mentally, she wasn't here in this car. Michael knew where she was: in Roswell. With her parents and Alex. Going to Antar had been tough on her, of that Michael was sure. But she wasn't the kind of person to let anyone know that, if there were other things that were more important. That's where the nickname "Ice Queen" came from back in high school: she never showed any emotions. It was only with Max that she was truly open. And Alex. But on Antar, she had been alone. Max had been struggling with his own demons and everything had been turned upside down. He had tried to help her, to support her, but talking was never one of his strong suites. So she had been on her own. She had been forced to keep her head high and prevent herself from feeling. Michael wondered what was going through her mind right now. She was so close to getting home.

For him, it was different. He had always been prepared to leave. Had always lived to avoid getting tied down. But he never would have imagined that coming back to Earth would feel this good. He had always thought that Antar was his home, where he belonged. He had been wrong.

He heard Isabel shift in her seat when the sign _Welcome to Roswell_ came into view. They were here. They were finally back home.

------------------------------------------------------

"Nancy! Wait!"  
Nancy turned around in the hallway, her hand resting on the doorknob. Jeff came up, placing a letter in her hand.  
"Could you mail this for me?"  
"Sure," Nancy said with a smile and turned the doorknob. The next thing she knew, she was falling back against her husband, her legs suddenly having turned into jelly.  
"Oh my God," Jeff whispered, absently supporting Nancy with a firm grip around her upper arms, his gaze fixed upon the apparition crossing the street outside the restaurant. Their daughter, their baby girl who they hadn't seen for almost six years, was walking towards them. At first glance, they didn't notice the paleness of her skin or how carefully she walked. They barely noticed Max walking beside her or the little girl in his arms. But after the initial shock had worn off, they reacted. Nancy inhaled sharply before shakily stuttering towards Liz and pulling her into her arms. Jeff gave Max a quick glance before embracing both his wife and his daughter.  
"Oh my God oh my God," Nancy whispered over and over again, tears streaming down her face.  
"I never thought I would see you again," Jeff said, his voice strained with barely controlled tears.  
"I'm so sorry," Liz whispered in response, her body gradually weakening with the flow of her tears. "I've missed you so much."  
"You're alive," Nancy sobbed, planting kisses over Liz's face. Then she pulled back, as the haggardness of Liz's appearance suddenly became visible to her. "God Liz. You look sick. How are you feeling?" Easily drifting back into her mother role, she pressed a palm against Liz's forehead to feel her temperature. "Liz, you're burning up."  
"I'm fine," Liz said weakly.  
"She needs to rest."

The soft and tired voice from behind them, made them aware of the fact that there were two other persons standing next to them. It wasn't until then that Jeff noticed that Liz's hand was still holding the young man's, not even letting it go to hug her parents. A lot of different feelings exploded inside him at once and he turned towards Max.  
"What did you do to her?!"  
Max swallowed, guilt evident in his eyes.  
"You did something to her," Jeff whispered, the hardness in his voice slicing through Max; feeding his insecurities and guilt-ridden thoughts.  
"Is that…" Nancy gasped behind her husband, "Is that…Emma?" The name of their granddaughter was spoken with breathless wonder which made Jeff's accusing eyes shift from Max to the girl he was holding protectively in his arms.  
"Yes," Liz answered softly and walked up to Max's side, clearly stating her place next to Max.  
"Oh my," Nancy breathed and walked up to Max. She brushed the hair away from Emma's face, which was hidden in Max's shirt, trying to get a peek of her grandchild. Emma didn't turn away, but she didn't turn towards Nancy's touch either. She just remained still, not responding.  
"Is everything...okay?" Nancy asked, her eyes turning worried. Fear was grating at her heart. Her daughter looked like a living dead and their grandchild seemed…closed off. Like she wasn't even in this world.  
"Emma is…She's…" Liz bit her lip to prevent the tremors in her voice.  
"Has…uhm… someone talked to you? How did you know Emma's name?" Max asked tentatively.  
"Maria told us," Jeff answered, his suspicious eyes once again back to Max.  
Max felt the air whoosh out of his lungs. "Did she tell you about me being-"  
"Alien," Jeff interrupted. "Yes, she did."  
His voice was cold, his eyes boring into Max. Max nodded. Being at war, fighting against aliens with powers he could barely begin to understand, never prepared him for this battle.  
"She also told us that you healed Liz," Nancy whispered. "Thank you." 

Max dropped his eyes. The ideal situation would be that he would feel good about Mrs. Parker's gratitude, if it hadn't been for the fact that her eyes were betraying her words.  
"Max sacrificed himself to save me," Liz said, seeing the look pass in her mother's eyes.  
"So Maria said," Jeff said.  
"Dad please," Liz said.  
"Baby, I love you and I'm trying to protect you," Jeff said, his voice softening as he looked at his daughter, "but don't you see the problem here? You cannot be with an," his voice lowered into a low hiss, "_alien_."  
Liz's heart dropped. Not because of her father's words, because she had been expecting his reaction, but because Max took a step back, his fingers loosening their grip on her hand. She quickly tightened her grip on his hand, putting a stop to his withdrawal, or at least his physical withdrawal.  
"Could I hold her?" Nancy asked, her eyes fixed on the motionless girl in Max's arms.  
"I don't know if-" Liz started, but Max interrupted her.  
"Okay."   
Liz looked up at Max. "Max, we don't know what her reaction will be."   
"It's their granddaughter, Liz," Max said quietly, failing to completely meet her eyes.  
Liz looked at him a long second, missing the weakening connection between them more than ever as she was trying to understand what was going through his mind.  
"I just want to hold her," Nancy said. Her forehead was creased and she was looking back and forth between Max and Liz, wondering why it seemed such a big deal that she wanted to hold her granddaughter.   
Liz gave her a weak smile, the corners of her mouth quivering with insecurity and she gently took Emma from Max's arms and placed her in the arms of her mother.

Nancy looked down at the child in her arms. She was beautiful. The most beautiful girl she could ever ask for as a grandchild. But something was obviously wrong with her. She was so stiff in her arms, didn't even move. Jeff looked at the girl a long time, before turning towards Max.  
"I want you to leave," he said coldly.  
Liz's eyes widened. "No. Dad, you can't-"  
"I can understand that this must all be a shock for you, Mr. Parker, but I can't leave Liz."  
"Oh yes you can."  
Liz's burning eyes centered on her father and she grounded out, "I'm not a girl anymore, dad! I'm making my own decisions. I've been doing that for a while now. Max and Emma are my family, and where they go I go."  
Her chin rose in defiance as she stubbornly forced down the urge to vomit. She felt light-headed and a wave of dizzying exhaustion flooded her. There wasn't one outside sign of her faltering though, but Max knew by the tightening of her hand around his and the wave of nausea suddenly spilling over the connection. The fear he had barely been able to control since she had almost suffocated when they had landed, returned with full force.  
"Liz, you need to lie down," he whispered. The plea wasn't intended for anyone else to hear, but the silence surrounding them was so deafening that if someone had dropped a pin, it would've been heard.  
"What's wrong?" Jeff demanded.  
"I'm fine," Liz answered Max. She turned to her worried parents and repeated, "I'm fine. Just a headache."  
"Liz," Max begged, his hand tightening almost painfully around her fingers. When Liz didn't move in either direction, Max pulled Emma out of Mrs. Parker's arms, earning a gasp of surprise from Mrs. Parker. 

Max cradled Emma close to his body and wrapped his other arm around Liz's waist. "We have to go."  
"No!" Jeff said forcefully and caught Liz by the elbow. "You are not taking her away."  
Liz, sensing that things were dangerously close to spinning out of control, put a calm hand over the hand Max had wrapped around her waist, putting a stop to his movements.  
"Max, I haven't seen them in six years. I need to talk to them. They need to know what's going on and what has been going on."  
Max's head lowered towards her, his worried eyes locking with hers. "Honey, you are not well. You cannot have a discussion like that tonight."   
Nancy couldn't help but overhear their conversation and she stepped closer to Max, "Please Max. We just want her with us one night. We don't have to talk tonight."  
Liz shifted her eyes from her mother to Max, silently asking him what he wanted to do. His eyes traced her grayish features, the fatigue in her eyes and the darkness under her eyes. He wanted to say no. He wanted to take her to his apartment and give her something to eat and take her to his bed and curl up next to her and give her the first sleep in a human bed for ages. On the other hand, he could understand her need to be with her parents. He wanted to meet his parents as well. But that would have to wait. He wasn't leaving Liz's side.   
"I'm staying with her," Max said.  
Jeff opened his mouth to protest, but Nancy, understanding that that was probably the only way she would have her daughter staying, beat him to it.  
"Okay."   
"Thanks mom," Liz whispered.  
"I'm just going to tell Michael and Isabel," Max said softly and bent down and placed a kiss on Liz's forehead.  
"Let me take Emma," Nancy offered, not sure as to if Liz would actually be able to carry Emma. But something told her that Max hadn't even been considering giving Emma to Liz. He would have taken Emma back to the car rather than having Liz carry anything.  
Max agreed with a silent nod and gently lifted Emma into Nancy's arms.   
"I love you," he whispered to Liz, she gave him a weak smile, and then he raced towards the car.  
"Okay," Jeff sighed. "Let's go inside."

TBC...


	56. Book 2 Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"You go first."  
Liz threw a hesitant glance in Emma's direction, who Max had positioned on Liz's bed.  
"She'll be okay," Max said softly, even though the words spoke of something very far away from the actual truth.  
With a slow, absent nod, Liz wrapped her arms around her, a distant look in her eyes as Emma remained at the center of her attention.  
"What if she won't?"  
A sharp pain twitched through his heart at her fearful whisper. He stepped up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. Pulling her close, he placed a kiss on the side of her neck and then rested his chin on her shoulder.  
"She will, Liz."  
"What if she never wakes up? What if she just remains dead inside?"  
Max closed his eyes against the truth in her questions, against something that he was too afraid to acknowledge; something that reminded him to the decision he had to make. Feeling the guilt wash over him, he loosened his hold on her and took a step back.  
"I'll keep an eye on her, Liz. You should take a shower."  
Liz turned towards him and nodded, her eyes fixed on a spot on the carpet. Max laid his hands on her shoulders and forced himself to smile. "Honey, you know you want it. You've been longing for that bathtub for ages."  
The mood lightened some and Liz looked up at him, easing the pain in his chest with a soft smile.  
"You're right."  
Liz walked towards the bathroom, but Max's voice stopped her. "Liz?"   
She turned towards him. "Yeah?"  
"I love you."  
He could practically see the tenseness in her shoulders lighten and she smiled, brighter this time, but still only a weak residue of the smile that could light up the world. "I love you."  
Liz started for the bathroom again when she was stopped by a feeling of hopelessness that suddenly loomed over her. Instinctively, she knew that it came from Max.  
"I'm going to be alright, Max."  
He looked startled by her statement and his eyes met hers in silent question. But there wasn't any confusion in his expression. He knew what she was implying; he just hadn't expected her to pick up on it. He barely nodded in reply, his throat suddenly feeling too thick to voice words, let alone form a complete sentence. There was still the nagging voice at the back of his head, which not even her calm voice could silence. There was still that deep feeling of dread and helplessness crushing his heart.

It was not until he heard the water running in the bathroom that he averted his eyes from the bathroom door. His eyes wandered around the room where so many memories were imbedded: Liz's bedroom. Something he had considered Mecca when he had been young. The room still held its importance to him and it probably always would. The room was permeated with innocence, of a time in the past when everything had seemed so much easier. It really felt as if nothing had changed when he stood there in the room. It still looked the same. It was as if time had been frozen here and nothing had ever changed. His mind could still conjure up the smell of the vanilla shampoo she had used that night when they had first made love. He could still remember how happy she had been, but as clearly as the memory of her smile was in his mind, so was the lingering sadness in her eyes. He hadn't known the cause of it then, but now he knew. She had given up everything to act in accordance with his future self's wishes and then she had let it all go. That night, when she had given herself to him, she had been disappointed with herself for not being able to withstand him. 

It was with sadness that he sat down on the bed and took Emma's small hand in his larger one. He was happy that Liz had succumbed and let him back into her life, but at the same time he wished that she hadn't, because so much had changed with that action. So much of her life had been altered and so much that could have been reality for her was crushed because of his love for her. He turned Emma's smooth hand, her skin as silky as her mother's, so her palm faced upwards. If Liz hadn't let him back into her life that night, Emma wouldn't exist today. Slowly, he traced the lines on her palm, feeling the softness that only the hand of a child could have. She hadn't grown up yet, but he had missed so much of her life and now she was destroyed, because of him. Because of whom he was.  
"I'm sorry, Emma. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Are you okay?"  
He inhaled deeply, her voice startling him. He relaxed when he felt her arms encircle his waist and her body pressed against his. Her wet hair brushed against his back as she pressed a kiss against the side of his neck. He took another breath, letting the fresh smell of soap and shampoo, fill his nostrils.  
"You smell good," he smiled.  
"Does that mean that I stank before?"  
He could hear the responding smile in her voice and he captured her hands and entwined his fingers with hers, wrapping her arms tighter around his waist.  
"Well…"   
His voice trailed off, leaving it up to the silence to speak of what he was implying.  
"Max Evans," Liz murmured against his back as her lips softly kissed his skin just above his shoulder blades, "I think you might want to rethink that reply if you want to sleep in here tonight."  
Max took a hold of her arm and gently, but strongly, pulled her around him, so that she ended up on his lap. He couldn't help but smile as his eyes met hers. He would never get tired to look into her eyes, to bury himself in the warmth that was Liz Parker's soul.  
"Much better," he murmured before claiming her lips with his own.  
For a moment, he let the worries and concerns that were eating away at him every moment of the day drift away and focused merely on the feeling of her soft lips and the taste of her. His decision to deepen the kiss earned him a moan from Liz, which made him warm all over. When oxygen became an issue, he slowly and reluctantly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers as he tried to gulp oxygen into his lungs.  
"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he whispered.  
"I have a vague idea," Liz said softly, her shallow breathing making his heart beat faster. "But…" She placed a lingering kiss at the side of her neck before pulling back and looking at him. "…I have to tell you that you smell pretty…bad."  
Max quirked one eyebrow at her in surprise. "Do I now?"  
Liz hid her smile and nodded, biting her lower lip. Honestly, he didn't smell bad. He smelled like Max and she loved that smell. But there were certain fragments of fragrances from Antar in his clothes and those smells disconcerted her.

"Aha," Max leaned closer to her, his breath tickling her lips, "then you would really hate me doing this, wouldn't you?" Closing the miniscule gap between them, he attacked her lips. There was nothing slow and tentative about the kiss. It was passionate and filled with barely restrained heated desire. Their lips moved together in the most familiar of dances, melting into one. Their hands roamed over their bodies, craving as much contact as possible. Just as she shifted in his lap, to come closer, Max broke the kiss, not being really successful in hiding the moan her last movement had elicited in him.  
"Then I should go and take a shower then," he said breathlessly, staring deep into her dazed eyes. She nodded slowly, his words being processed extremely slowly in her head, barely able to pass through the mist he had successfully created, submerging her into his soul.   
But even in her dazed condition, she didn't fail to notice how his eyes turned more melancholy and the way his fingers lingered lightly, like the brush of butterfly wings, against the side of her cheek, before he dropped his hand and gently lifted her off his lap.  
"I'll be right back," he whispered. Liz's gaze was fixed on his back until he disappeared into the bathroom and out of her sight. Her eyes remained fixed on the bathroom door for another couple of seconds, her mind far away, trying to decipher Max's expression. She had a strong feeling at the pit of her stomach that something was very wrong. It wasn't just her problems anymore, the ones she hadn't told Max about yet. She got the strange feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her. Maybe she should tell him about her fears. Maybe she should tell him about the connection. He must've felt the weakening too. Maybe that was what was worrying him.

Liz shook her head, mostly to herself, before lying down on the bed. No, there was something else. The last thought that had chance to enter her mind before sleep claimed her was that she had to speak to Max. They were drifting apart because they weren't talking anymore. They were finally back on Earth and it was time for them to finally start living their lives – together. But her plan to talk to Max was overshadowed by the ever-present threat of death. What if she didn't live long enough to give Max what he had always wanted?

Normalcy.

------------------------------------------------

His gaze remained steady, but as steadily as he appeared to be tracing the fluorescent star stickers on the ceiling, his gaze was focused on a more far-reaching outer space. He could feel how her chest was softly moving beside him with every breath, even though he wasn't touching her in any way. He could hear the soft exhalations and he could picture how she looked just then perfectly in his mind. He had spent numerous nights lying awake, just watching her sleep. Watching the peacefulness in her face and how her lips were slightly parted. How her lips would occasionally move to form the reminiscence of a word, taken directly from the dream world she was experiencing. He had memorized every line in her face, every tiny freckle. Some nights he would let his hands hover over her, the healing powers in his hands working to pull her life force against his palms, feeling her vibrate with life in his hands, without ever touching her. But he didn't do either today. He couldn't touch her in any way; the guilt was too empowering. The knowledge of what he had to do was weighing him down and he still wasn't sure he had made the right choice. The irony of it was that there wasn't any right or wrong in this decision. There was never anything right about taking someone's life, but he had to do it. To save hers.

His heart was thundering in his chest, feeling imprisoned by his dark thoughts and wanting to break free. He had lost count on how many times he had wished that he had been normal and that being with Liz wouldn't harm her in any way. But just as soon as that thought entered his mind, there was the blinding realization that Liz would have died that day in September on the floor of the CrashDown Café if he had been normal. He wouldn't have been able to help her in any way. He would have been forced to helplessly watch her die. A shiver of cold dread shook his body at the thought. He wouldn't be able to live in a world where there was no Liz Parker. In a world where her warmth couldn't surround him and her laughter couldn't brighten up his day. He would be lost in a world where he couldn't watch her every day and hear her voice. That's why he had to do this. There were numerous feelings of selfishness, of guilt, of sorrow, of loss, but he was certain that this was the only way. The babies were harming Liz and if he didn't do something, both the babies and Liz would die.

The darkness was dense around him, but he had been staring through it for so long that it didn't help in shielding what he was about to do. With the feeling of a knife being turned in his heart, he turned to his side and stopped. Her head was turned to her side, her head resting against the back of Emma's head. One of her arms was resting over Emma, while the other was stretched out next to her, as if reaching for him. He swallowed hard, but nothing could bury the taste of bile in his mouth. Forcing back the tears and the voice that was telling him to not go through with it, he took a hold of the thin sheet covering her body and pulled it down. She was wearing a thin nightgown. She told him earlier that she had bought it when she was seventeen. It still fit her, but the material was stretched around her waist, showing signs of the slight protruding of her early pregnancy. He pressed his eyes tightly together at the sight when a sharp loneliness stabbed him. He had to take several deep breaths before he could force himself to continue. Careful not to disturb her, he took a hold of the bottom of her nightgown and started to hitch it upwards. A soft sigh from her lips made him freeze and he waited; hoping that she wouldn't wake up while at the same time hoping that she would.

He had felt it before, but never to the same degree. Not with the same loathed intensity. The disgust. The disgust for himself. Now it wasn't only for what he was, but also for what he was about to do. He placed his hands on her stomach, but instead of having the warmth of her skin soothing him, a cold shiver raced through his heart and his hands started to tremble. His guilt-ridden mind conjured up the image of her. Her smile. Her beautiful face. Her eyes. Her lips. Her heart. The reasons to do it were many, but still not a single one was reason enough. He could feel the energy collecting in his body and sparkling down his arms, spreading warmth into his hands, his palms. But he held it back, waiting for the sign to come to tell him if he was doing the right thing or not.

He waited, but it didn't come.

He was on his own. He took another deep breath, tears rolling freely down his cheeks, and he closed his eyes focusing on the energy inside of him. Energy to heal, to bring life; but the same energy to kill, to take life. Just then the surface beneath his hands moved. He jumped at the touch, the energy inside of him quickly retreating with the shock. Liz moaned softly and shifted, but his gaze was focused on her stomach. They moved. They just kicked.

And he knew that he would never be able to do it. The magnitude of what he was about to do and that he could already now have killed his own children washed over him and he quickly pulled his hands away from her. With trembling hands, he gently pulled down the nightgown and pulled up the sheet to cover her up. She shifted, her hand coming into contact with his thigh. He looked at it for a long second, before picking it up and feeling the soft texture of her small hand in his.  
"I love you, Liz. I love you so much. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for what I am and for what I've done to you."  
His voice was barely a whisper, cracking with unrestrained tears and guilt. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. With a lonely 'I love you', he rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom.

--------------------------------------------------------

Liz awoke ten minutes later, feeling the absence of his warmth like a throbbing pain in her body. Her hand reached out to blindly fumble in the darkness. His mere absence wouldn't have been so strange, if it wasn't for the surge of panic moving through her body. Something was wrong. She left the warmth of her daughter and sat up in the bed, blinking repeatedly to transform the darkness into light. The furniture took form around her and she became aware of the muffled sound of water running.

She crawled out of bed and flung her legs over the edge of the bed. The floor felt cold under her feet and she shivered. Unconsciously resting the palm of her hand against her abdomen, she slowly walked towards the bathroom, ignoring the light-headedness that was trying to force her to sit down. The door was unlocked and the noise volume gradually increased when she pushed the door open. She could see the contours of his body through the thin shower curtain.  
"Max?"   
There was no response. Frowning, she spoke his name again, louder this time. When he still didn't respond, she pulled the shower curtain to the side. He jumped at the sound, apparently not having heard her entrance into the bathroom. He quickly turned his head away from her, but he was not quick enough.  
"What's wrong?" Liz asked concerned, the short glimpse of his red eyes and haunted face burned into her memory.  
"Go back to sleep, Liz," came his whispered response. Or that what was he was intending for it to be. It sounded more like a tortured croak.   
The panic racing through her intensified and the need to have him listen to her became harder to ignore.  
"Hey!" Liz said more forcefully, reaching into the shower to take a hold of him. "Look at me!"  
"Liz, please," Max whispered, his eyes downcast as he reluctantly turned towards her.  
"Max, you're scaring me," Liz murmured, her gaze raking over his face. Why was he moving away from her?  
"I can't…" Max breathed, refusing to meet her eyes. He couldn't look her into the eyes after what he had almost done.  
"Max, we have to talk," Liz said. "I can feel you pulling away from me. There's something very wrong with our connection and-"  
"I can't talk about this," Max said.  
"Yes, we have to," Liz insisted. The water was pelting down her face, the nightgown clinging to her body, as she stepped more fully into the shower; quickly making up for every step he took backwards with one of her own. "I cannot go through this alone, Max. I need you with me."  
Her voice broke with a sob and Max faltered. He wanted to stay away from her. He didn't want her to know what he had been about to do.  
"I'm sick, Max."  
That simple sentence made his heart stop in his chest. She had never admitted it before. She had always acted like everything was just fine. To hear the words confirm what he had known for so long was terrifying.  
"I might die," Liz whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her grief and loneliness.  
Hearing that, Max couldn't resist her any longer and he took her in his arms. He could feel the trembles going through her body and his arms tightened around her.  
"Max, you're trembling," Liz whispered, worried.  
That's when he realized that it wasn't she who was trembling, it was he.   
"I did something, Liz."  
"What did you do?" Liz whispered softly, fear invading her.  
"I… I…"  
How was he supposed to tell her that he had been on the verge of killing their children? She would leave him. She would leave him immediately. But wasn't that what he wanted? So that she could be safe?  
"What is it, Max?" Her voice was calm, but due to the close proximity, the connection was more alive than ever and he could feel the fear taking over her.  
"I'm… Liz… I…"  
Liz pulled out of his arms, tears mixing with the water from the shower. "Max, please… What did you do?"

His stuttering reply was interrupted by a high-pitched scream, which make them both freeze.  
"Oh my God," Liz whispered agonized. "Emma."  
She turned around so quickly that her feet got caught up in each other, and she would've fallen, if Max hadn't snaked out with his arm and steadied her. He ripped a towel down from a crook and tied it around his waist while his legs were simultaneously moving after Liz to get into the bedroom. Max barely had time to reach the bed, before the bedroom door was wrenched open and the light was switched on, making the room suddenly bathe in light.  
"What's going on?"  
Max didn't even bother to look up at Mr. Parker as his question rang through the room. Neither did Liz. She was already on the bed, pulling Emma into her arms.

Emma. 

She was crying. Her lips were trembling and her big brown eyes, so reminiscent of her father's, were filling up with big tears.  
"It's okay, honey. It's okay," Liz whispered over and over again, rocking Emma in her arms.  
"Liz?" Mrs. Parker took in the scene in front of her. The crying child, the tears on Liz's cheeks, the fact that Max was undressed. However, it was the haunted look on Max's face that captured her attention. They didn't need to have it spelled out for them. Everyone in that room knew that something had happened. Something had changed.  
"Emma, can you hear me?" Max said gently, his body trembling as he sat down on the bed, still leaving some distance between him and Liz.   
"Mommy," Emma whispered. "Mommy… mommy… mommy…" Her voice gradually increased until she was screaming, her voice cracking, but it didn't stop her.  
"Please, honey," Liz cried. "Please tell me what's wrong. Please, baby."   
Liz's desperate cries cut through Max's heart and against his own feelings of guilt and his determination that his presence only hurt Liz he leaned closer to her and took her hand. Her hand squeezed his in response immediately and so tightly it would've been painful if he had noticed. As of yet, his attention was completely on Emma, who after three months of silence was communicating to the world again. Her screams slowly ripped his soul into pieces, while at the same time the noise was music to his ears.

"What is wrong with her?"  
Mr. Parker's silent question barely made broke through Emma's screams, but the firm hand on Max's shoulder forced Max to look at Liz's father.  
"Is she sick? What is wrong?"  
"Mr. Parker," Max's eyes rested on Mr. Parker for only the split of a second, before returning his attention to Emma, "There are some things that you need to know, but it has to wait. Emma needs us now."   
"Dad, please," Liz said, her voice cracking with fear and tears, "Could you just give us some privacy?" She was afraid that the presence of two strangers would put a stop to whatever progress was happening to Emma.  
"_Mooommmy!!!_"   
The scream sent shivers down Max's spine and suddenly he didn't care about being polite or careful towards Mr. and Mrs. Parker. He just had to get them out of there. Quickly scrambling to his feet, he almost pushed them out of the room, so quickly that Mr. Parker barely had time to voice his protests. The wooden door was shut behind them and Max put his hand against the lock and melted it.  
"Maaax!!"   
He turned quickly at her scream and the sight that confronted him turned the blood in his body to ice.

TBC...


	57. Book 2 Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"Maaax!!" 

Liz's terrified voice tore through him, freezing the blood in his veins and he quickly spun around. What he saw was enough to send any man to his knees. Blood. Liz was covered in blood.  
"Liz!"   
He stumbled over to the bed, his hands moving over her body in search of the source to the blood even before he had climbed onto the bed.   
"No, Max," Liz sobbed, "It's not me. It's not me. It's Emma."   
His eyes met hers, his heart thudding in his ears and he could hear it slowing down as he slowly diverted his eyes away from her glittering eyes to his daughter.

He could see the blood, the red twinkling in the light, the shadows making it appear black. It was gathering in Emma's hair, the thick fluid collecting in her ears. Blood, so much blood. Without any further thought, Max reached over and cradled Emma's head between his hands, just seconds before her eyes rolled back in her head and her body tensed before going limp in his arms.  
"Max?! Oh my God," Liz whispered next to him. "What's happening, Max?"   
But Max didn't hear her. He was already forming a connection with Emma, having been able to catch her eyes before they had drifted closed. 

_"Emma! Emma, baby…" __  
__Max's voice gradually fell to a forgotten whisper as he stumbled through the dark surroundings. There was hollowness around him, as if he was fumbling around in a vacuum. The darkness tried to force itself down his throat and he could feel the dampness of the air around him pressing through his clothes and against his skin. __  
__"Emma!!" The volume of his voice scratched against the insides of his throat, the only evidence that he had in fact been screaming, because to his ears there was no sound. The darkness was devouring his voice like a hungry beast. ___

_The surroundings shifted around him, shifted back and forth, a continuous motion that was starting to make him dizzy. He reached out towards a wall that was dancing in front of him in an attempt to steady himself. As his hand should've made contact with the wall, his feet stumbled as his body fell forward when his hand pressed through the wall. As if it consisted of merely air. He quickly regained his footing, his hands searching blindly through the darkness. __  
__"Emma! Where are you? Emma, if you can hear me, please… Emma!" __  
__But there was no answer. No answer except the eerie sound of the complete absence of sound. Then he saw her. She was sitting on the ground, her legs barely touching the muddy ground, a faint light surrounding her, making her glow with a flickering light. __  
__"Emma!" __  
__She looked up at him as he came running towards her. He saw the tears running down her cheeks as he fell to his knees next to her and pulled her into his arms. He held her close, trying to force himself to believe that he could feel the warmth of her body, when the rational part of his mind knew that he couldn't. She was as cold in her arms as if he was cradling a dead body. ___

_She pulled out of his arms, looking up at him with big round eyes, and her look was anything but dead. She was looking at him more intently than he had ever seen her, like she was trying to tell him something. Max opened his mouth to ask her about what when she answered his unspoken question. __  
__"The man took them away." __  
__The sentence made a chill go down his spine. His hands shook as he brushed away the tears from her cheeks, trying to will his heart as well as hers to slow down. __  
__"Who did the man take away?" __  
__"My brothers," Emma answered, causing Max's hand to stop in mid-air. His mouth opened only to pull in air, while his lips were desperately trying to form any sounds. __  
__"Wh…what… Who took them away, Emma?" __  
__"The man," Emma sniffled. "The man. He killed the doggie." __  
__Max frowned, trying frantically to figure out who she was talking about. Mentioning the man seemed to upset her, so Max decided to focus on the other part of her story. __  
__"Were your brothers here? With you?" __  
__Emma nodded, not breaking eye-contact for a second, barely blinking. __  
__"Emma, I need you to listen to me, okay? Can you do that?" __  
__She nodded again, her big chocolate eyes glittering with fearful tears. ___

_"No one has taken your brothers. They are inside your mommy's stomach. They are safe. Okay?" __  
__Emma shook her head in protest. "No, th-th-the man took them. They were sitting here and then the man took them. We was playing and the man took them." __  
__"Honey, please. I promise you, your brothers are safe in your mommy's stomach. Do you want to see for yourself?" __  
__Emma looked at him and he could see that she did not believe him. He cradled her face between his hands. She was so small that the top of his fingers reached the top of her head while his wrists were touching her jaw line. __  
__"Em, your mom and I miss you. We love you so much. Try to wake up. Your brothers need you, but you have to wake up first. Do you understand me?" __  
__"They are in mommy's stomach?" __  
__Max nodded. "They are in mommy's stomach." __  
__"Bad man is gonna-" __  
__"Honey," Max interrupted gently, "The bad man is gone. He can't hurt you anymore. No one is ever going to hurt you again." __  
__She looked at him with big round eyes and then whispered, "I wanna go home now." __  
__Max's throat constricted with her teary request and he nodded, pulling her up in his lap. "Let's go home."_

Liz watched Max heavily fall down on the bed. He was still touching Emma with his hands and Liz could feel Emma go still in her arms. It was as if all the tension in her little body dissolved and she went almost limb. Even though Liz could feel Max through the, albeit weakening, connection, it didn't do much to relieve her worry when she saw how unresponsive Max became. Usually when he connected he would remain in the position he was in when he entered the connection. But not this time. This time he just collapsed, which scared Liz to death. She couldn't lose them both. She wouldn't survive that. Brushing away the tears from her face, she reached out and took a hold of Max's hand, entwining her fingers with his. 

_Max could feel the pull like a strong thread winding through him. He could feel her warmth surrounding him and protecting him. He could feel her soul calling him. He closed his eyes and bathed in her love for a few seconds, before slowly opening his eyes and pressing a kiss on Emma's forehead._

Emma opened her eyes and looked up. She could see her mother, but her mother wasn't looking at her. She was looking at something else next to her.  
"Mommy," Emma whispered, the need to drink washing over her.  
Her mother turned towards her, with a startled expression on her face and when she smiled, the darkness in Emma eased away – to some degree.   
"Emma…"   
Then she was in her mother's arms and she could hear her own sniffles in her ears, mixing with her mother's crying. Shortly thereafter, she became aware of another set of arms surrounding her.  
"Is she okay?" her mother whispered. "Emma, are you okay?"  
"She's okay," her father answered next to her.  
That's when she remembered. Her brothers. She pulled out of their arms and looked up in their slightly confused faces, before her eyes traveled down to Liz's stomach. She reached out to tentatively touch Liz's stomach.  
"We have to be together," she whispered.  
Liz threw a questioning glance in Max's direction, but his face shared the same bewilderment that she was feeling.  
"Of course, sweetie. We will always stay together," Liz answered.  
Emma slowly shook her head, her hands tightening their grip on Liz's arms. "Otherwise they will die. We have to be together."  
"Honey, what are you talking about?" Max asked, his grip tightening around Liz as he could feel her distress echo in the silence.  
"We have to be together," Emma murmured with a far-away expression on her face.  
Liz met Max's eyes as Emma buried her face in Liz's still wet gown. 

But Max couldn't give any answers. He was still shaken up from whatever place Emma had been in. It hadn't just been a dream and something told him that it was real. Something told him that what had been going on in Emma's head meant something. He just didn't know what.

Emma fell asleep in Liz's arms and Liz dozed off not long thereafter. Max used his powers to dry her clothes and as quietly as he could, he put on some boxers and a T-shirt before gently easing down next to Liz and his daughter, enveloping them in his arms. A shiver went through him as Liz's stomach brushed against his hand and everything that had happened up to the moment when Emma had started screaming came flooding back to him. How he had almost killed his own babies. His heart twisted painfully and he pulled away, his hands leaving the places where they had rested on the bodies of his family. Liz's breathing, a little more strained with every night passing, echoed in the silence, as he turned away from them. With Emma's last words resounding through his head, he fell into a restless sleep.

We have to be together.

-------------------------------------------------------------

_One month later_

"Hey, I'll do that," Max said gently, catching Liz by the elbow as her tired legs stumbled. One of the toys that had been gathered in her arms fell to the ground.  
"I'm doing it, I'm fine," Liz said, her voice bearing the hint of irritation.  
"Please, Liz," Max said, guiding her towards the bed. As soon as she sank down on the bed, he let go off her, taking a step back.  
Liz closed her eyes against the coldness washing over her. She missed him. She missed him so much. But something had changed that night when Emma had returned to them. Liz had gotten her daughter back, but her best friend, the person she loved more than her next breath, had pulled away. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night and find Max on the other side of the bed, so close to the edge that if he'd moved one inch he would've fallen off. At first she had tried to scoot closer, but it would always end in Max waking up and disappearing to the bathroom. He would be gone so long that Liz would go back to sleep and when she woke up in the morning he would be gone and she would find his pillow on the couch in the living room. His presence and the warmth of his body was so rare that she had once woken up because he, in his sleep, had rolled over and put his arm over her. His lips had been resting against the skin of her neck and she had been able to feel the warm gentle puffs of air against her. She hadn't dared to move, afraid that he would wake up and move away. So she had been lying there in the darkness, crying, because with him so close she could feel the anguish raging within him. The connection wasn't strong enough anymore for her to find out the reason, but she could feel the torment, the everyday struggle that was going on inside of him.

Sitting there, she felt like she'd had enough. She had tried to talk to him before, but he would just close off. She wouldn't let him get away without answering her this time. She could feel whatever was breaking down her body slowly eating away at her, and she didn't want to spend her last weeks alive away from him.  
"Why are you doing this?"  
She opened her eyes and caught the look of raw fear in his eyes before his eyes skittered away, like they had done so many times before these last couple of weeks. She used to love his eyes. She still did. She used to be able to see every emotion in them, but now he wouldn't let her. It hurt. It hurt so much.  
"Doing what, Liz?" Max asked casually, like she wasn't sitting there in front of him trembling with exhaustion and desperation.  
"What happened, Max?"  
She was struggling to prevent the tears from falling. She had cried so much lately that there shouldn't be any tears left, but there were. There always were.  
"Uhm… What are you talking about, Liz?"  
Sudden anger screamed inside of her and she hit her fist on the bed. "Damnit! You know exactly what I'm talking about! I can't do this anymore!"  
He took another step back and she could feel her heart sinking. They could just as well be standing on two separate islands with an ocean between, their screaming voices being carried away by the wind, never reaching their target.  
"Mommy?"   
Liz took a deep trembling breath before turning her head towards her daughter standing in the doorway behind Max. She tried to smile, but the muscles in her face weren't co-operating.  
"Everything's okay, sweetie." The guilt came crashing down. Emma might be talking to them again, but she wasn't well. They had to be careful around her. There had been times when she went inside herself and disappeared from the world, when something had scared her. A puppy whining on the TV. A door closed too suddenly. Lights being switched off. Loud voices.

"Go back to your room, Em," Max whispered, having turned towards his daughter.  
"Are you angry, mommy?" Emma asked in a small voice.  
"No, honey," Liz answered, shaking her head. "How about watching that movie grandpa bought you, huh? Do you remember what movie it was?"   
Emma's face lit up, but both Max and Liz could see that the fear was still present in her eyes. "Cindella?"  
"Cinderella," Liz smiled. "That's right, honey. Ask grandma to put it on for you, okay? Daddy and I need to talk for a while. Okay?"  
Emma looked from her mother to her father, hesitation in every small movement. "Okay."  
"Great, honey," Liz said, "I'll be right out."  
"You should get some rest, Liz. You look so tired."  
Liz turned her eyes back to Max, struggling to keep herself in control. "I am tired, Max. Do you know why? Because I need you. I can't do this alone. I can't do this anymore."  
"What do you mean?" She could hear the tremble of fear in his voice and one part of her was satisfied with the knowledge that maybe finally he would understand how much he was hurting her, but on the other hand it hurt her knowing how scared he was. He was just as afraid as she was. He knew just as little as she did about what was wrong with her. At least that's what she thought. Lately, something had been telling her that Max knew more than her.  
"Do you think I'm stupid-"  
"No!" Max exclaimed, taking a step towards her.  
"Then tell me what the hell is going on! We have to be able to talk to each other. Don't you trust me?"  
"Of course I trust you-" Max stuttered, reaching out with his hand towards her.  
Liz shrunk away from his touch. "You don't trust me with the truth. You know something, Max, and instead of talking to me about it, you take it on your own shoulders, like you've always done. You try to fix it yourself and you shut me out. I don't want you to make the decisions for me. I want to know what's going on. If you know something about what's going on with me, I want to know. I don't want you to protect me. I don't need you to protect me from the truth."  
"I know," Max whispered.  
"Then why are you doing this?" Liz sniffled in resignation, a tear falling down her cheek.

Max stared down at the floor in silence and even without the connection, Liz could feel the battle he was waging. With his gaze still locked on the floor, he started talking.  
"I'm afraid, Liz. I'm afraid that you will…" he took a deep shuttering breath, "…die."  
"Max, I-"  
Max looked up and she found herself looking straight into his shimmering eyes, which made the words vanish from her tongue.  
"I thought that… That the… " another deep breath and he reached forward and tentatively placed his hand on her stomach. This was the first time he had touched her like this in over a month and it made Liz's heart skip a bit with sadness. "That the babies inside of you were hurting you. That they were making you sick. So I…"  
He turned his face away at this, snatching his hand away from her and thus ending all physical contact.  
"Max?" Liz questioned, looking up at him as he turned his back on her. She could see how his hands were shaking, how his whole body was shaking.   
"That night…when you found me in the shower and Emma woke up. Before that, I had tried to…" His voice broke with a repressed sob and he barely got the next words out. "Liz, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know what to do. I was so afraid that you were going to leave me. But I couldn't choose. I couldn't choose."  
Liz rose to her feet and put a hand on his shoulder. "Max, you're scaring me. What are you talking about? Max? Please tell me."  
He took a step forward, trying to avoid her touch, but instead of letting him she moved her hand down his arm and grabbed him, forcing him to turn around.  
"Max, what happened?"  
He wouldn't look at her. He looked at some point on her chest.  
"Max!" Liz demanded, giving him a shake. "What happened?"  
He looked up at her and she had to take a deep breath to not start crying when she saw the look in his eyes. Fear. However, it was not the same fear as before. This was fear of abandonment. He was afraid…of her?

"I… I tried to kill them," he whispered so softly that she barely heard him. But every word reverberated through her soul, cutting through her body with painful intensity.  
"Who?" she whispered.  
"The babies. I tried to kill them, but I…" Liz took a quick step away from him, pulling her hand away like she had been burned.  
"I couldn't," Max murmured, knowing by the look in Liz's eyes that what he had feared would happen was about to happen. She would finally see him for what he really was. She was finally going to see through his façade and realize that he would always cause her harm. It always had been. That just being who he was would harm her.   
Confusion was rapidly replaced with fear and next worry as one feeling replaced the other. His hand reached out towards her in an instinctive motion to comfort her, but she took yet another step backwards.  
"Liz…"   
She swallowed, looking at him with betrayal in her eyes. "You tried to… The babies… Your sons..."  
"I'm so sorry," Max whispered.  
"Just…" She couldn't look at him anymore. Her arms went around her stomach protectively, a movement not missed by Max. "Just leave. Leave me alone."  
He didn't argue. He had expected it. He knew that it was over. But that didn't mean that it hurt any less.  
"I love you," he whispered before quietly leaving the room.  
Liz stood staring at the empty doorway where he had disappeared and without any conscious thought of what she was doing, she sank down on the bed, tears helplessly tumbling down her cheeks.

TBC...


	58. Book 2 Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

No one noticed how Emma's weak body doubled over as Max closed the front door behind him.  
"Daddy," she whispered, her hand reaching out faintly to grasp air in the direction of where her father had disappeared to.  
She could hear the subdued crying coming from the closed bedroom door, and the deep fear that had been luring in the background since Khivar's men had taken control of her mind saw its opportunity and rushed forward knocking the wind out of her, making her legs give away under her.  
"Mommy." Her voice cracked in the empty house, growing weaker in the emptiness that was slowly, but gradually taking control over her. With a fearful whimper she crumbled to the floor. All she could do the next minutes was to try and fight the dizziness and nausea as the sound and light slowly disappeared around her and the frightening sounds in her head took over.

------------------------------------------------------------

It was in that position, with her legs curled up in fetal position, and a painful expression haunting her soft features, that her grandparents found her twenty minutes later.  
"Oh my God…" Nancy gasped as she saw the girl on the floor. Turning her head slightly to the side, she yelled into her husband's direction, "Jeff!! Get Liz!! Hurry!"  
"What is…" Her husband quieted behind her for a second when he saw Nancy on her knees, lifting the lifeless body of their granddaughter from the floor. "What happened?"  
"Get Max or Liz! Now!" Her voice remained calm, her movements with Emma gentle, but inside she was shaking with fear. She had always been able to come out on top of situations, remaining calm, but it was different with Emma. Emma might be her daughter's girl and she might look human, but Emma's father was inhuman and whatever had been going on with Emma since Liz and Max had returned had been dealt behind closed doors. Nancy and Jeff hadn't been given any peeks into Emma's condition and that told Nancy that something was really wrong with Emma, since Liz would never stop them from interacting with their granddaughter if she could help it. They might not approve of Max to the fullest, but Nancy hadn't for a second thought he would try and keep Liz and Emma away from them. He had, after all, agreed with Liz to live in her room, for a while. Nancy was glad they had decided to come live here. Even if they were mostly hauled up in their room, it felt really good to have Liz home again and be able to have Emma so close.

Nancy's heart sank when Liz appeared in the room. Her daughter looked like a living dead. She was pale, paler than usual, and her eyes were angry red. Nancy couldn't help but stare at her daughter when she, without any healthy grace whatsoever, stumbled to the floor next to Emma and more or less ripped her daughter out of Nancy's arms.   
"Where's Max?" Nancy wondered, noting the absence of the young man.  
Jeff shook his head in response to her question, an expression with a mixture between anger and confusion masking his face.  
"Emma, sweetie, it's mommy," Liz cooed in a soft voice, gently rocking her child in her arms. "It's time to wake up. It's okay, baby. You're safe."  
Nancy looked back and forth between the desperation in Liz's face and the twitching in Emma's face, which was distorting her facial features into distinct signs of pain. Looking up at Jeff, she said firmly, "Jeff, get Max. Just get him here."  
Jeff held her gaze for a second or two, before turning on his heel and with some hesitation in his steps about leaving his family, walked out to find Max.

---------------------------------------------------------

_Ten minutes earlier_

"Max!"   
A mere second after the door had opened, Max found himself enveloped in his mother's strong familiar embrace. She held on to him for a long time and he closed his eyes against the guilt that washed over him. He had visited his parents since he returned from Antar, but the fear of something happening to either Liz or Emma while he was gone had made the visits few and far in between. She pulled away framing his face between her hands, looking at him worriedly. His heart squeezed with the familiarity of the gesture. It was like he was a little boy again. One of her hands brushed away some of the bangs from his forehead. His hair was getting long again.  
"How are you?" she whispered, the emotions in her body making her voice tremble.  
"I'm fine, mom," he answered softly, not being able to meet her eyes.   
"You look thin," Diane continued as if he hadn't answered her. "Are you eating right? Are you sleeping? You look so tired, sweetie."   
"I'm fine," he repeated with a weak smile, even though his heart was aching with the knowledge of the truth he was hiding.  
"Diane? What's…?"  
Max looked up to see his dad enter the hallway. He saw the changes in the expression on his dad's face, going from wonder to happiness to worry in a matter of brief seconds. The ever present guilt started to bubble up to the surface and he once again felt that everything was falling apart around him. He had thought that going back to Earth would've been the answer. He had still been realistic about it; knowing that all their problems wouldn't just resolve themselves with the mere return to Earth, but he had thought that it would at least make things easier. But Liz hadn't gotten better, just worse. Emma was a little better, but she kept returning to that place in her head where they couldn't reach her. He had talked to Maria, Alex, Isabel and Michael, but that was just because they had come and visited. If they hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to have the energy to meet up with them. His parents had done the same; they had made occasional visits. However, during the last week, Max had called them, begging them not to come. He felt that Liz couldn't handle it. She needed her rest, even though she was still trying to do most of the things on her own.

Philip hugged him tight, holding him close. "Max."  
"Hi dad," Max said quietly, feeling his heart plummeting to the ground. When did everything begin to go so wrong?  
"Are you okay, son?" Philip asked, pulling away to look at his pale son.   
Max gave him a faint nod, which was violently interrupted by a sharp ice cold pain slicing through his heart. He doubled forward, almost knocking Philip over.  
Philip shot his wife a look of panic, as he grabbed Max by the upper arms to stop the young man from losing his balance.  
"Max? What's wrong?"  
Max barely felt his mom's concerned hands running over his back as it felt like his heart was turning to ice; hardening and cracking with ice cold death.

Then it stopped. Max immediately wished that it hadn't. Because the emptiness and complete lack of anything filling him was among the worse things he'd ever felt. It didn't take him long to localize the feeling that had started to scold with sudden familiarity. The loss of the connection.  
"She's gone," he whispered, panic gripping him. He had anticipated it for a long time now, with the gradual weakening of the connection, but to actually feel it scared him to death. His whole body trembling, he looked up at the concerned faces of his parents, the anguished statement whispered again, "She's gone."  
"What do you mean, Max?" Diane asked, fear marking her words.  
"Liz? Is something wrong with Liz?" Philip asked, his grip on Max's arms remaining and tightening.  
"I don't know, I don't know," Max mumbled as his eyes moved back and forth. He broke out of his father's grip and more or less ran towards the phone. His fingers quickly dialed the all too familiar number and the person on the other side barely had time to put the phone to the ear, before Max had spoken. "Is Liz okay?"  
"Max, thank God."  
And Max's heart stopped. He had never heard Nancy that afraid before. Something was wrong. He barely heard Nancy's last words before the receiver dropped to the table and he was out the door. "Please come back, Max. We need you."

--------------------------------------------------------

"Where is she?!"  
"Living room," Jeff answered, but Max had already brushed pass him. He saw Liz on the floor with Emma bundled up in her lap. Nancy was sitting next to Liz, holding a glass of water in her hand.  
Liz looked up at the sound of footsteps in the stairs and met Max's eyes. As soon as she saw him, her eyes teared up and her bottom lip started quivering.  
"Where are you?" she whispered tearfully.  
"I'm right here," Max answered, falling to his knees next to Liz and Emma. But they both knew that it wasn't true. Max knew what she was really asking, but he couldn't answer her. Because he didn't know. The only thing he knew was that Liz was dying. He knew that with tormented certainty. The closing of the connection was the last step. It wasn't long now.  
"They're gonna die with me," Liz sobbed. "You have to save them, Max. Isn't there something you can do?"  
"Liz, please," Max whispered, taking a hold of Emma's head, carefully placing it into his lap while swallowing his own tears, "We have to focus on Emma now."  
"I don't wanna die, Max," Liz cried, on the verge of a complete breakdown. Max looked at her. It scared him. To see her so resigned and scared. She had always fought so hard to hide that side of her; to always appear strong and independent. But reality had finally broken her. She was beaten.

Firmly holding her watery gaze, Max addressed Nancy, "Mrs. Parker, help Liz into the bedroom. She needs to rest."  
Liz started to shake her head, seeing where he was going with this, "No, Max. I'm not letting you decide this time. I'm not leaving Emma."   
"Liz, listen to me. I will help Emma, but I need you to take care of the twins, okay? I can't take care of them right now, you have to be strong and do that, okay?"  
She didn't want to listen to him; he could see it in her eyes. But he could also see that she knew that he was right. She was no help out here. She was already panicking and she would only disturb Max. She didn't know how much longer she could stay awake. Fatigue was weighing heavily down on her. She could see in Max's eyes that he knew. He knew that she was going to die – soon – and the only thing that could prolong her life right now was rest.  
"Okay," she sobbed, letting her mother pull her to her feet and guiding her to her bedroom. Liz looked back just before Nancy closed the door to see Max lying down next to Emma, his strong arms folded protectively around his small daughter and she knew with clear certainty that he never would've been able to go through with it. He would never have been able to kill his sons. He couldn't make that decision. He would fight for them all three to live instead. But now it looked like they were all losing.

-----------------------------------------------------------

He couldn't get in. A black brick wall was blocking his way and he couldn't get in. He tried to break it down with his mind, with his will. He tried to break it down by physical force, beating his fists against the rough surface. But it wouldn't subdue to his forces. He could hear Emma screaming behind the wall and it made him beat his fists harder against the wall, until they started to bleed, but he couldn't get through. It was with deep black feelings of failure that he was pushed out of the connection, finding himself back on the floor in the living room. He looked down at the little brown-haired girl next to him. On the outside, it almost looked as if she was sleeping peacefully, if it hadn't been for the small twitching of her fingers and the deep frown of pain on her forehead. He tried hard to push all the feelings down as he lifted her lifeless body up from the ground. Those feelings were no good now. He had to help Liz first. She was in a much worse place.

It was with heavy feet that he walked towards the bedroom.

Nancy looked at them worriedly as they opened the door, but with one reluctant look at Emma and Liz, she left the room. Liz was already asleep, her knees pulled up to her chest and tears still glistening on her cheeks. He stood there for a minute, just watching her, feeling like the world was weighing down on his shoulders. Was this it? Was this when he realized that he couldn't help this situation and gave up? Was this when he realized that even with all his powers, he couldn't save his Liz from dying? He swallowed back the burning tears and slowly walked up to the bed. He would do one last try to fix this. He knew that it must have something to do with the connection. The absence of the connection had been making Liz sick before, and it must be part of making her sick now as well. He gentle placed Emma on the bed, right next to Liz's curled up body. He reached over and put Emma's cold small hand in the hand that Liz was resting on the bed. Next, he climbed onto the bed, taking Emma's hand in his left and scooting closer to take the hand that Liz was resting on her stomach in his right. He pulled Liz's hand further down her stomach, moving it in between the buttons of her shirt to come into contact with bare skin and then pressed their joined hands against the skin.

He took a deep breath, let his eyes drift shut and started the search for their souls.

TBC...


	59. Book 2 Chapter 26

_**Hello!**_

_**I'm already back again... Without further ado, here's the next chapter...**_

**Chapter 26**

He found his sons first. Pulsating with life, he could feel them reaching out for him. He could hear their voices in his head, but something was different from the time he had connected with them on Antar. Some of their innocence had disappeared and they weren't asking questions anymore. There was concern now. They knew that their mother was dying and it scared them. Max's heart clenched painfully at their silent plea to help their mother. He tried to reassure them that he was going to help Liz, but it was difficult to hide the truth when he had his mind open. All his doubts, self-blame, fears and insecurities were constantly washing over the twins and they knew what was happening even if their father didn't want them to see. Without Max noticing the change, the twins gradually took over. Their strong combined energy started pulsating straight through Max's body and suddenly he knew not just what to do but also how to do it. With his sons guiding him, he started searching for Liz and Emma. Emma was easier to find than Liz. The twins' energy joined with his, plunged through the wall around Emma's mind and reached inside, finding Emma crying and scared. But there was also relief and hope, which fueled Max's heart. Together they now tried to reach Liz. Max had to fight with his feelings to not fall apart as his mind moved through the surface of Liz's consciousness. He hadn't let himself see that she had been getting this bad the last couple of weeks. There was hardly anything left. Her whole body was weak and almost completely deteriorated, as if she had been suffering from a horrible disease that had been eating her alive from the inside, decaying her organs and wearing out her very essence. Moving deeper into her mind, Max got increasingly aware of how much of a miracle it was that Liz was not already dead. How had she been able to even stand up with this tarnished body?

His heart skipped a beat, and he could feel the simultaneous skip in his children's hearts through their link, as he came into contact with the first conscious thought in Liz's mind. They'd found her, but he had no idea that she was this close to disappearing forever. He had no idea that if they hadn't found her now she might never had woken up again. She was ready to die. She was ready to give up. She didn't have any strength left to fight whatever was devouring her. With her last vestiges of energy, more than she really had, she was hanging on to save her sons, but she couldn't do it anymore. She was so tired. Max could feel the energy being literally sucked out of his body the more conscious contact he got with Liz. She wasn't talking to him, but she was responding nonetheless. He could feel her essence envelop him, but it lacked the usual warmth. Now it was cold, deadly cold. Even though he was feeding her a lot of energy, he reached out around her soul and pulled her closer to him, trying to warm her up and awakening a bond that had died. He could feel his sons feeding him with energy and he was amazed at the strength they had; it seemed never ending. Emma was also helping, but he could feel that she was weak and he concentrated on putting a small block on her connection, so that she wouldn't give her mother too much of her energy, even though he could feel that she would do anything to help her mother. He wouldn't lose her too. The first instant he felt one of the twins falter he did the same to their connection. He could feel their surprise through the connection at what he had done, but he tried to assure them that daddy could handle this; they needed to rest so they could help their mother later.

As he was deep in Liz's mind, voices started to swirl around him. Voices from a conversation that was long gone, but not forgotten. Max tried to push the voices away, and refocus on healing the connection between him and Liz, but the conversation wouldn't leave him alone. The voices grew louder; they wanted to be heard. For some reason, Liz wanted him to hear this conversation. Reluctantly, he turned some of his attention away from the bond and focused on the voices. As soon as his focus fell on the voices, they became louder and clearer. Liz's vibrant voice filled him, making his heart ache with bittersweet remembrance of how full of life she had once been. It had been so long that her voice almost sounded foreign. The other voice was more difficult to place, hence it took a couple of extra seconds before Max registered that the voice belonged to Kira.

_"Are you really all right, Elizabeth? You look so pale and I can sense the concern in your soul." __  
__"I'm… uhm… Actually, there is this thing that I needed to talk to you about, Kira. You know when I was so sick – on Earth…" __  
__"Yes, when we found you, you were really ill." __  
__"But then I started to feel better-" __  
__"After you and Max mated." __  
__"Right." Max could hear the smile in her voice and he could mentally picture the redness on her cheeks at Kira's bluntness. "And after that I started to feel better, but then… then… then Khivar took Emma, and I… Something happened. Max and I… we were both grieving and Max was trying so hard to find Emma. He didn't let himself rest. He was worrying so much, making decisions and seeing to it that I was okay as well. I couldn't tell him that I was starting to feel worse again. At first I thought it was only because I was so afraid for Emma, but after a while it started to get really bad and I could feel Max slipping away from me. He was always there, always comforting and being so…so strong." Max took a deep breath as he heard the tears in her voice; the appreciation of what he had done was mixed with the loneliness that the weakening of the connection had brought. __  
__"I think Max noticed as well that the connection was weakening between us, but I think that it only made him fight harder to find Emma because he believed that it would fix everything. I did too. I thought that if we could just get Emma back we could heal again." __  
__"I understand." ___

_"But I couldn't talk to him about it. You see, Max takes everything on his own shoulders. He was already taking all the blame for Khivar abducting Emma. I couldn't tell him that I could feel our connection dying. He would only have found some way to blame himself for it. Now we have Emma back and Max has just announced that Aldonis is to take over to rule Antar, but we are still not okay. Emma is so…" Her voice hitched in her throat and she had to clear her throat before thickly continuing. "She is so weak. I don't know what to do. I'm feeling even worse. It's like the energy that Max gave me to heal my wounds is sipping out of me and I can't stop it. I don't have any energy left and I don't know what to do. Max doesn't know what to do either and it's killing him. Please, Kira. Do you know anything? Do you know what's happening?" __  
__There was a pause before Kira answered. Max's whole body tensed in anticipation of the answer. __  
__"There is this story; it's almost become a legend with time. By many it is not considered to even be true. That's why I haven't told you and Max anything about it yet, even though the story has been on my mind for a while now." __  
__"Please, Kira. Anything will help now." __  
__"Yes, I will tell you. You know that Antarians can speak with each other telepathically. Well, due to Max and yours connection I presume you can do that as well." __  
__"Yes, but we were not that advanced. I got sick again before…" Her voice faltered and Kira continued slowly. __  
__"Because Antarians are more specialized in communicating with their minds, they don't need a connection to the same degree as you and Max do. They _have_ a connection, but not with the same strength your connection. There is something you have to understand. Before Khivar took over, before Zan was killed and Antarians were enslaved under Khivar's regime, they all had feelings; just like humans. They were all allowed to laugh, to cry, to care…to love. They could marry whoever they wanted. They were happy. Khivar destroyed that. He took it all away by forcing the people to repress their feelings. At the beginning, the Antarians still felt it in their hearts, even if they hid the feelings in their minds. But _their_ children were brought up in another environment. Gradually, the Antarians forgot what it was like to feel. They forgot what it was like to love someone, and even what it was like to…kiss someone." ___

_"That's horrible." __  
__"Yes, but there was nothing they could do about it. All they could do was to hope that the rumors were actually true. That the essence of Zan had been preserved and that he would come back and save them. So that they could live again." __  
__"I'm not sure I know why you're telling me this, Kira." __  
__"I'll come to it. There was this couple, who lived when Zan's father lived. They loved each other deeply. At least, that's what the legend says. When Zan's father was killed and later Zan, instead of moving apart and hiding their feelings like Khivar commanded, they got even closer. They were fighting Khivar with their love. They wouldn't let him win and they wouldn't let him destroy what they felt. But the woman was a distant relative to Khivar, while the man came from a peasant family. The woman had always been loyal to Zan's father and later to Zan during the short time he ruled, but something changed when Khivar took over. Even though they committed themselves so deeply to each other, the woman started to mistrust her own loyalties. She was always loyal to her husband, but she began to consider if she should really disobey an order from her family. What makes this story relevant to your problem, my dear Elizabeth, is that they had developed this really strong connection. It was unlikely anything anyone had ever seen. No one could describe the love that they showed each other, the tenderness and the selfless care. They were like one, always in sync and always supporting each other. But the woman started to pull away because of the mistrust she felt in her heart. She felt that she couldn't trust herself and she didn't want her husband to know of her insecurities because then he might start to doubt her. The legend tells that as she started to pull away and began to hide some parts of her mind from him, she fell ill. She grew weaker everyday and as she grew weaker she couldn't hold on to the connection as strongly and it faltered even more and she grew even weaker. It became a…what do you say… a vicious circle. As the woman had started to pull away, the husband had gotten worried and after a while suspicious, and he had begun to distrust her. This did nothing to help with the connection." __  
__There was a pause and Max could sense Liz's fear heightening. __  
__"What happened to them?" __  
__Kira cleared his throat before continuing. "She died. Her body was nothing more than skin and bones and she could hardly stand up. She couldn't even stay awake for more than one hour at the time." __  
__"Oh my god." __  
__"The man died shortly after. When the connection was completely cut off with his wife's death, he couldn't handle the coldness. He killed himself."_

The voices faded and Max had to take a deep mental breath. That was what was happening to them. That was what was about to happen and he had to stop it, before it was too late.

_Liz? Liz, sweetie, can you hear me?_

He wasn't sure how he knew that she had answered him; it just became clear to him that she had.

_Baby, I need you to listen to me carefully, can you do that?_

Her reply was weak, but he could feel her hope strike his heart with such force that he had to take another deep breath before continuing. 

_You have to trust me. Open your heart completely. Just feel and let me feel you. Don't be afraid of anything. Let me see everything you're thinking and feeling. I love you so much, Liz. Let me in._

With those words, he opened the connection completely and his own fears and insecurities started to leak out into the connection, flowing over to Liz. He could feel her surprise and the overwhelming power his feelings had on her. But then he could feel her relief and he felt himself relax. He only had time to relax for a couple of brief seconds before her emotions slammed into him. He had to focus harder not to be pushed out of her mind. Her feelings swirled around him, creeping into every little fold and corner of his mind. He had never felt her this strongly before. Her fear of losing everything, of losing him and the children shook him to his very core. He never knew she had been this afraid. She hadn't let him know. These were the feelings she had kept hidden deep in her mind, where no one had access. Not even him. He could feel her insecurities about her own capacity to support him, her inability to help him when she was ill. Her worry about the connection growing weaker crawled around him like a snake and started to squeeze, almost painfully, around his chest. She had known that the connection had been the reason to why she had been feeling worse, but she didn't want to tell him because she wanted to protect him. She didn't want him to once again feel guilty about his origins and who he was. She knew that it would ruin him if he found out that he was indirectly responsible for her death. That something that they had both treasured, something that had been a special addition to their love, was killing her. She knew that the man she loved would never be able to live with himself if he had known. So she had hid it from him and she had tried to hold onto the connection on her own, hoping that maybe the connection would come back to life again and everything would be okay.

Instead, she had almost sacrificed her life out of fear that Max would start blaming himself. Max's heart almost stopped under the pressure of her feelings. He never knew that his tendency to take the blame for everything would end up killing the person he loved the most – more than himself. Even though, naturally, the thought of her not telling him, because she had been afraid he couldn't handle the truth, made the self-blame kick straight back in, he quickly pushed it to the side. The connection was one hundred percent open by now, so Liz probably felt his feelings of guilt, but that was how it was supposed to be. That was how they were to heal the connection. By feeling and experiencing everything with each other – something they hadn't done since that one night in the warehouse when they had reopened the connection.

Max could feel his soul wakening up again, as if it had been hibernating. It was almost like he was cracking with fresh energy, excited to meet up with the essence that was Liz. He could feel her returning to her, slowly but steadily. He could feel her soul beginning to respond to his, and it was the most beautiful feeling he had ever felt. It was like a warm blanket spreading around him, enveloping him, buffering his feelings and making everything around him warm and soft. From deep within the core of his being he heard her heart, now becoming one with his.

_I love you. I love you so much_

--------------------------------------------------------

Liz slowly opened her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy, but strangely light at the same time. The light forcing itself in through the small openings in her eyes was bright and she started to repeatedly blink in response. She closed her eyes again for a couple of seconds, deeply breathing in the air and the fragrances hanging in the air. It was with a smile on her lips that she opened her eyes again, feeling how his heart was beating with the same rhythm as hers. She could feel how soft the air was flowing into his lungs in sync with the air that was flowing into hers. She could feel the touch of her own hand on his arm. She was bathing in his essence. The feelings from the dream world he was currently experiencing were floating all around her and she started to laugh quietly to herself with happiness. She could feel him. She could feel all of him and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever felt.

He was lying just in front of her, one whisk of his dark hair hanging down over his left eye. Her smile was everlasting, ever glowing, as she slowly moved her hand to tenderly brush the hair away.  
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for coming back to me."  
She could feel sleep starting to claim her again, her body still needed to recuperate, and she willingly succumbed. Her hand drifted down his side to fall softly over his waist as she moved closer to him. But there really was no way she could get any closer. Their minds were one, not to be separated ever again.

TBC...


	60. Book 2 Chapter 27

_I'm so sorry for the long wait. _

_However, I've finally managed to finish this story. So if you read on, all the chapters are here. Thank you all for your beautiful feedback!_

_Alvernogirl_ _and Sara, thank you for taking the time to write me some words._

**Chapter 27**

It was a tingle in his fingers that pulled him back to consciousness. It was as if small bursts of electricity were rushing through his fingers, up his arm and spreading out into the chest. Even though it was familiar electricity, it still held some foreign features. As the dream world started to disintegrate around him and reality started to solidify, the conscious awareness of her became even more pronounced. She was surrounding him in a way that he had never felt her before. It wasn't as if her essence was an addition to his soul, but her soul was so deeply intertwined with his that it had become a part of him. It was the most relieving, relaxing, passionate, warm, exciting feeling he had ever felt in his whole life. He slowly opened his eyes and the smile to match his feelings spread over his face. She was asleep. He could see the gentle rising and falling of her chest. Her long dark lashes were resting calmly against the red cheeks, the color telling of her regained health. Her long dark hair was tousled, lying in disarray on the pillow, some strands sneaking out and resting softly over her cheek. It was still lacking its long-forgotten shine, but Max new that it would come back. He could feel it just as certain as he could feel the beating of his own heart. She was okay. She would be okay.

His eyes traced the gentle features of her face. It was a long time since he had allowed himself to do so. Just look at her. The guilt about not being able to help her when she needed him had consumed him, paralyzed him, until he had barely been able to touch her. He had missed feeling her skin under his fingers as unhindered as his hand was now resting on her stomach, skin to skin. It was the return of the tingle in his fingers that brought his attention to her stomach. Slowly and carefully, to not wake her, he pulled up her shirt, revealing her stomach. He had to take a deep breath as her skin came into view. There were bruises – all over her abdomen. They were fading, but it hurt to see them nonetheless. He closed his eyes against the guilt that came rushing down on him. Their connection was so strong right now that if he started to wallow around in self-blame again, Liz would wake up. She needed her rest. Right now it felt as if he would do major harm to whoever disturbed her right now – himself included. He took a deep breath and swallowed heavily and tried to refocus on what he was supposed to do. It wasn't that difficult to find the source of the tingles. 

Bright light was shining, spreading out underneath his hand, to follow the contours of his hand, making it appear as if his hand was glowing. But it wasn't him. With fascinated slowness, he lifted his hand and felt the connection pull back. It was as if there had been a rubber band in his arm and as he removed his hand it flew back up. Carefully, he placed his hand on her abdomen yet again and the tingles started. A smile spread over his face. They were talking to him again. They were communicating their joy that their mother was feeling better again. He could sense that they were tired too, but that the anxiety to feel him respond to them had won over the need to sleep. However, as they felt his gentle love spread over them through the connection, they started to pull away as sleep claimed their small bodies. Max felt as if his heart was going to explode. The relief was so great he wasn't sure how he was going to contain the emotion. Both Liz and his sons were alive. His eyes moved over to the little girl sleeping with her body pressed up against Liz's back. Her hair was just as dark as her mother's, just a little thicker and wilder, spread all over the white pillow. Her hands were pulled up to her face, both made into small fists. Her knees were pulled up to her stomach, but not as tightly as when they had first found her on Antar and she had wanted to escape reality. He was still worried about her. He could see the strain in her face, but it felt as if it would be easier to help her now that Liz was feeling better.

His heart clenched worriedly as a soft helpless whimper escaped his daughter's lips. He slowly rose from the bed, moving very carefully as the bed shifted at the loss of his weight and made his way over to her side. He lay down behind her and gently put his hand on her arm. She moved underneath his touch and he moved his hand up to her face, to brush the hair away from the side of her face. She stilled beneath his touch and he stayed there for a while, breathing in the smell of the peach soap Liz used to wash Emma. He loved her so much. A flash of how carefree she had once been, before Khivar had taken her from them, entered his mind and not for the first time – and certainly not the last – he cursed the existence of Khivar. He cursed his past and his destiny. Why couldn't he give them a normal life? Emma hadn't asked to be born the child of an alien king. She was such a wonderful child, why did he have to find Liz and her, and destroy it all? But the answer was so quickly in his head and so clear that he glanced over at Liz, suspecting that she was telling him. But she was asleep. He could feel through the connection that she was still unconscious. The voice was telling him what he already knew, but what he had a tendency to forget when he ended up in one of his vicious mind loops. If he hadn't found Liz, she would've died because of the cut off connection. Which again, was his fault. If he hadn't saved her that September day in 1999 on the floor in the Crashdown, she would never had been tied to him through an otherworldly connection and she would never have to be so sick because the connection wasn't open. But then again, as the voice of reason in his head once again pointed out, if he hadn't saved her then either, she would have died. She was teetering on the brink of death when he had run up to her that day. He could still see it as fresh in his mind as if it had been yesterday. That's when his life had begun.

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead, before pushing up from the bed and as quietly as he could, crossing the floor and pressing down the door handle. He was momentarily taken aback when the door wouldn't open. Frowning, he pressed the door handle down again and pushed a little harder on the door. He found the root of the problem. Michael was lying in front of the door. He was now looking up at him groggily. Max looked further to the right and found Maria partly sitting, partly lying down next to the door, her lap occupied by Michael's head. They had both fallen asleep outside the door.  
"Hey," Michael murmured, pushing himself up in a sitting position. He glanced back at Maria to see so that he hadn't woken her, but he didn't think there would be any greater risk of that happening since Maria had barely just fallen asleep after worrying all night about what was going on behind the closed bedroom door.  
"Have you slept here all night?" Max whispered, a confused frown marring his forehead.  
Michael slowly rose to his feet, wincing as his tired body protested. The consequences of the weird position his body had been lying in for a couple of hours was making themselves known.  
"Maria came over last night to visit Liz and Mrs. Parker stopped her from going into your room. She freaked out after Mrs. Parker told her what had happened and called me. I called Isabel and Alex-" Michael nodded towards the TV couch and Max noticed that both had taken up residence there; Isabel curled up next to Alex, with her head on his chest. "-and we all waited out here. When you didn't come out, we figured that you were either…uhm… dead or you had fallen asleep. Everyone hoped for the latter alternative."  
"Right," Max nodded.  
"How about some coffee, man?" Michael started to walk towards the kitchen and Max followed.  
"That would be great," he answered.

Michael made his way out into the kitchen and started to rummage through the cabinets. Max silently sat down by the table. His thoughts were all over the place, but at the same time he felt a deep feeling of peace within.  
"You okay?" Michael asked and Max looked up at him in surprise. He still hadn't gotten used to the new Michael. The Michael that had been born out of the events on Antar. The one that looked after people and showed concern.   
"Yeah, yeah," Max answered absent-mindedly. "I just have a lot on my mind."  
Michael pressed the on button on the coffee maker and sat down opposite Max. "Right. So how is Liz feeling?"   
There had already been too many turnovers the past few months. Liz had gotten worse only to be healed by Max, then starting to get worse again until she was successfully healed by Max again. Every time it happened, Max thought that it would be the last time; that she would get better. Now, even though he could feel through the connection that something was different this time, he was afraid to put too much hope in it. So there was only the shadow of a smile on his face when he answered.  
"I think she's gonna be okay."   
"You think?" Michael repeated carefully.  
"Yeah, and the twins are doing fine as well."  
"Okay," Michael agreed, letting Max get away with the vagueness of his answers. "She's asleep?"  
A warm smile played in the corners of Max's mouth and he nodded. Michael couldn't help but feel his heart getting warmer at the sight. If someone finally deserved to be happy, it was Max and Liz. They had fought hard enough to be together. They had paid for their sins for several lifetimes ahead by now.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to you lately," Max said. "How are you, Michael?"  
Michael snorted, as if it was preposterous that Max would ask such a thing. He was fine, he had always been fine.   
"I'm doing all right," he answered with a wistful smile that Max immediately picked up on.  
Max gave him a pointed look. "And how's Maria doing?"  
Michael hesitated before he answered, but he couldn't hide the secret smile from lingering on his lips. "Actually, there's something I want to talk to you about…"  
Maria took this opportunity to walk into the kitchen.   
"Max," she stated. "I thought I heard your voice."  
"Hey Maria," Max said softly and nodded towards the living room. "Sorry about worrying you guys."  
"Is she okay?" Maria asked, taking the chair next to him and looking at him with big worried blue eyes.  
"I think so," Max answered.  
"You think so?" Maria asked. She obviously wasn't going to settle for that answer as easily as Michael had.  
Max closed his eyes for a second, relishing in the sound of Liz's heartbeats through the connection. "I'm positive."  
Tears formed in Maria's eyes and she looked up at him hopefully. "Really?"  
Max smiled now, a smile that could've thawed ice. "Really."  
Maria's smile matched his through the tears and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Max felt some of the weight normally resting on his shoulders melt away as he heard Maria's grateful whisper against his ear. "Thank you, Max. Thank you."

"I want to see her," Maria stated as she pulled back from Max, wiping the tears of relief and happiness from her cheeks. She had been so worried the last couple of weeks. She had known deep in her heart, even if no one else were telling her the truth straight out, that Liz was getting closer to death with every passing day. She had been so afraid that she would lose her best friend and that Emma would lose her mother. She had barely dared to let herself think about how Max would react. She remembered with clarity how he had reacted the first time he thought that Liz had died, before they found Liz. She never wanted to see her friend like that again. It would have been worse this time, because he and Liz were if possible even closer now.   
"She's sleeping," Max answered.  
"I'm just gonna go in there and watch her," Maria said and took an honest hold of Max's eyes. "Is that okay?"  
He hesitated for a second or two. Even though he knew that Liz needed her rest, he also knew that Maria had been just as worried as he had been and nothing could've stopped him from seeing Liz, so why should he be the one to stop Maria from doing the same thing?  
He smiled. "Sure."  
Maria inhaled shakily, as if she was about to perform in front of an audience of over a thousand people… or just meeting her best friend.  
"Thank you," she whispered and before they knew it she had left the kitchen.  
"She doesn't say it, but she's been really worried," Michael said, causing Max to turn his eyes towards him. "She's been crying herself to sleep the last couple of weeks. I couldn't comfort her. It didn't matter what I said to her, because I wasn't the one she wanted to listen to. She needed Liz."   
"We all do," Max said quietly.  
Michael nodded slowly. "True that."

Memories of a time never to be forgotten washed over Maria as she slowly, and as quietly as she could, opened the door to Liz's childhood room. Memories of how they had both, with their long hair tied up in pigtails, been running through this door, which at the time had been covered in posters of kittens and horses. She could almost see the children in front of her, running past her into the room as she opened it. She could see them collapse in fits of laughter on the bed and just as soon as they had been rolling around on the bed with their laughter filling the room, they were off again to the Barbie doll house on the floor. Maria remembered that house with such clarity. They had both wanted that house so much for one Christmas. Liz had got hers, but Maria hadn't because her mother couldn't afford it. This resulted in a lot of sleepovers when they would sneak out of bed after Liz's parents had tucked them in and continue to play in the fantastic imaginary world of plastic food and sparkling evening gowns. The image of them as children slowly faded away as her eyes turned to the family sleeping in the large bed. When had they grown up? Liz was a mother and had a family of her own.

For some reason, which Maria couldn't quite put her finger on, a wave of cold loneliness streamed through her, and she reflexively put her arms around herself. Nothing had ever gone back to the same after Max saved Liz that day in 1999. Maybe it was the secret of Max's identity and what had really happened that had changed something in their once so indestructible friendship. Or maybe it was just the thought of growing up; changing and taking up another role in the world. Suddenly they were not only daughters and best friends, but also girlfriends and eventually lovers. Maybe it was when Liz had been getting sick after she and Max drifted apart the first time, and once again Liz hadn't let Maria in. It all came down to the secrets. The secrets had created holes in their friendship and shortly after Liz had been kidnapped, presumed dead and been living another life without knowing her real identity. Maybe it was just plain jealousy. Ever since Max came into Liz's life, Maria's role has changed. Now Liz didn't need to tell Maria everything because she could tell Max some of those things.

Maria slowly circled the bed, to come face to face with Liz's sleeping countenance and something was released inside of her. Something broke apart, like when a bad stone of cell growth disintegrate due to the effect of the eager chemicals in chemotherapy, and she sank down in the chair next to the bed. Her hands turned into fists, trying to direct the turmoil of her feelings into her hands so that she wouldn't cry. But her body was not going to be voluntarily controlled right now and her fists opened up to stop the flow of tears from her eyes from reaching her cheeks. Her gaze was locked on Liz's face, on the weariness that was still evident on her friend's face, as her bottom lip was trembling with relief and the tears in her eyes were dripping with gratitude for having her friend back. 

Maria audibly gasped as Liz's eyelids started to rise, blinking, and she tried to will herself to silence the sniffles coming out of her mouth.  
"Maria?" Liz asked sleepily.  
This only made Maria cry even more, because it was the voice of her friend, not the bleak ghost of her friend.  
"Don't cry," Liz whispered when all she got in reply from Maria was sniffles. "Come here."  
She patted the space next to her, where Max had been sleeping before and Maria didn't need anymore persuasion than that. Brushing the tears, which wouldn't stop running, away with the back of her hand, she made her way over to the bed and laid down next to Liz. Liz immediately put one arm around Maria and pulled her into a hug.  
"I was so afraid..." Maria sniffled into Liz's shoulder. "I was so afraid that you were going to die."  
"I wasn't going anywhere," Liz answered, her voice gaining more strength with the gradual increase in wakefulness.  
"Please, Liz, tell me that you were afraid. I need to hear that you were afraid."  
There was a moment of silence as Liz struggled to overcome her constant need to reassure people that she was okay.  
"I was terrified. I really thought I was going to die. It seemed so hopeless and Max didn't know what to do. I wasn't ready to go and it scared me so much. Death in itself didn't scare me. My body was longing to not feel pain any longer. What scared me was leaving all of you. Max, Emma, Alex, my parents, Michael, Isabel, and you; my sweet, sweet dearest friend."  
Silence followed before Maria answered. "Thank you. It's good to hear that you are human after all."  
Liz laughed softly. "Ironic that you should say that when I'm probably the least human that I've ever been right now."   
Maria looked up at her and realized what she was referring to and joined Liz's laughter. "I love you, Liz."  
"Love you too, sweetie," Liz answered and hugged her again.

TBC...


	61. Book 2 Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Max carefully closed the bedroom door behind him and warmth, passionate in its presence, spread through every cell of his body when his eyes connected with hers across the room.  
"Hey," she said softly.  
"Hey," he answered, standing there almost content by just watching her. But he knew that it wasn't enough. It was never enough. He needed to touch her. He needed to make sure that the feelings he felt wash over their connection were true. He needed to confirm that the life he felt from her, tingling every nerve ending in his body, was real. He needed to make sure that the feeling of her heart beating in sync with his was not a hallucination on his part.  
"How are you feeling?" he asked, his eyes still carrying some concern. Concern that would always be part of him. Concern that he would always feel for her until he drew his last breath. Because he would continue to watch over her, worried that something might cause her harm or snatch her away. She knew that by now. Thus, when she saw the concern in his eyes she wasn't afraid, she didn't feel like scolding him, she was warmed to the core. Because the concern was in absence of everything else she had seen in his eyes the last couple of months. Fear, guilt, shame, loneliness, anguish. This was Max. She could see him again. She could feel him again. Something was telling her that this time, it was forever.  
"Haven't you heard? An alien king swooped in and saved my life. Again."  
Max smiled. "That's not the story I heard."  
Liz raised one eyebrow in mock disbelief. "Really?"

Max sat down on the side of the bed, looking down into her beautiful face, looking up at him with complete confidence and unwavering love. He raised his hand and gently pushed a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. Like he used to do. Like he had always done. Liz's eyes drifted close at the sensation of him touching her so gently. She would never get used to the tenderness he treated her with. The love he put into everything he did; every kiss, every touch, every word. She had almost forgotten what it felt like. He had drifted away from her so far that the feelings she felt at the moment seemed almost surreal. Feelings she had been so intimate with a couple of months back were now new and foreign.  
"From what I heard, this alien is not a king. Not any longer."  
"Oh," Liz retorted deadpanned.  
"He decided to return to Earth and try to lead a human life with his children and his beautiful wife."  
"A normal life?" Liz asked, feigning surprise.  
Max leaned over her and tenderly captured her lips with his. Simultaneously, Liz felt heat following the featherlike movement of Max's hand along her bare arm. She didn't have to look to know what he was doing, having seen the light trail emitting from his hands several time when he was caressing her body. She looked up into his eyes, still tasting him on her lips, and waited to speak until he opened his eyes and met hers.   
"Completely normal," Max answered the amusement in her eyes.   
"Well, it's a good thing that I caught him before he turned strictly human," Liz mumbled, her fingers now tracing the outlines of his strong jaw. "Otherwise he might have been reluctant to heal me."  
"On the contrary," Max answered, pausing to place soft kisses on the side of her neck while moving his body to more fully cover hers. "I would say that he would make an exception for you." 

_Three months later_

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Liiiiiz. Happy Birthday to you."  
Liz laughed warmly as Emma started clapping her hands excitedly. The last two months Max and Liz had worked hard on making Emma feel secure enough to give her the courage to return to the real world. Max had dreamwalked Emma every night to be able to hold Emma's hand when she was standing in front of Khivar in one of her ever reoccurring nightmares. He was there to kiss her forehead and hold her tightly when the men in her dream would hurt puppies just to see if she would heal them. A week back, Emma had had her first dreamless night since her rescue from Khivar. They were making progress.

It was like watching a flower blossoming in front of their eyes, as the child Emma had been before being kidnapped was gradually returning. Emma was now looking at her mother with excitement, barely able to stop herself from helping Liz to blow out her candles. In her opinion, Liz was taking forever.  
Feeling Emma's eager impatience through the connection, Liz pulled her daughter over to her side of the table. Emma followed with a giggle as Liz in the process tickled her stomach.  
"I think I need some help, Em. There are so many candles."  
Liz heard Maria's snicker behind her and rolled her eyes.  
"On three, okay sweetie?"  
"Mmhmm," Emma nodded, her eyes large as she with acute concentration stared at the candles.  
Joining in, their loved ones standing around them in a circle chimed in; "One… Two… Three!"  
But the candles were still burning and neither Liz nor her smaller replica made any indication of blowing candles, their faces imitating each other from the frown on the forehead to the biting of the bottom lip. In the few seconds that Liz's parents, Max's parents, Isabel, Alex, Michael and Maria tried to figure out what was going on, Max broke through the mass of people and rushed forward to Liz. Everyone who was excluded from the connection between Max, Liz and Emma watched speechlessly as Max kissed Liz's forehead, his hand coming down to gently touch Liz's protruding stomach.

Maria was the first one to voice what everyone wanted to know. "Uhm…guys? What's going on?"  
A few seconds of silence followed before Emma jumped up, as if broken out of a trance, with a cry of joy that made everyone jump from its suddenness.  
"My brothers are coming! My brothers are coming!"   
Still getting used to the extraterrestrial touch to Liz and Max's family, Nancy and Jeff watched the little girl run around the dining table, knowing that she was saying something but not being able to fully fathom grasp the meaning of this bizarre situation.  
"Oh my God," Maria gasped behind Nancy and followed Max's example by rushing up to Liz, almost pushing Max out of the way in the process. She pulled Liz into a tight hug.  
"Okay guys, calm down," Liz said, trying to breathe in Maria's crushing embrace. "These kinds of things take time. This was just the first one."  
On the other side of Liz, Diane blinked rapidly as it hit her. "Sweetheart, are you in labor?"  
Max looked up at his mother, his radiating smile telling her the answer before his voice did. "Yes."  
Max's one worded answer rustled life back into everyone in the group and Liz was adored with hugs from everyone.  
"Isabel!" Max yelled out to be heard over the buzz of voices, moving away from Liz to find his sister.  
"Max," Isabel said, a smile from ear to ear, and hugged her brother tightly.  
Max relaxed in her arms for the duration of the hug, but as soon as she stepped back the nervousness hit him with full force. Isabel took one look into Max's eyes and read him like an open book. Laughing, she affectionately patted the top of his head. "Don't worry, Max. I've got it covered."   
She couldn't help but be amused by his anxiety. After everything they gone through the last couple of months, Max shouldn't have to worry about Liz giving birth. If he had been able to bring her back from the brink of death – twice – he could handle labor. But Max obviously didn't see it that way, his nervous attempt at a smile quickly turning into a grimace. Smiling, Isabel shook her head at his hopelessness.  
"Don't worry, okay?" she said slowly, emphasizing every word, even though she knew that there was nothing she could say that would stop him from doing just that.

Their conversation was interrupted by Liz's voice, loud and commanding but interlaced with happiness and bemusement. "Okay. Everyone. Calm down!"  
The buzz quieted down some, until only Maria and Emma's bubbling conversation was audible.  
"…then we can go to the park and play on the swings!" Em cried out, looking happily at Maria for confirmation. But Maria was looking away from the little girl, looking around her with a sheepish smile as they had become the focal point in the presently quiet room. Liz shook her head at her favorite girls. Trust them to get the most worked up about this.  
"I don't know about you, but I _really_ want some cake," Liz continued.  
Emma, with the typical attention span of a child, rushed up to the cake, momentarily forgetting about her brothers. As commotion and voices commenced anew, plates being distributed and cake being cut, Liz rose and followed the string of the connection that was vibrating with anxiety towards the bathroom. She leaned against the doorframe, watching him rummage through the cabinet, spreading towels over the floor. Watching his fervent search for the right towels, knowing that the poor towels had to fulfill very specific criteria in softness and texture, her love for him washed over her. Watching the muscles move under his thin white shirt, knowing that he was so worried for her wellbeing at this point that he hadn't even noticed that she was standing there, the increased strength in the connection usually a dead give away, making hide and seek games with Emma close to impossible. She opened her mouth to reveal her existence when another contraction rippled through her lower abdomen, temporarily knocking the wind out of her. Through the blur of sharp pain, she saw Max bend forward in a motion mimicking hers, experiencing about half the pain she was feeling. She registered that he pushed himself off the floor, knowing that she was there, and helped her down on the toilet. Kneeling in front of her and pressing his forehead against hers, their heavy breathing was synchronized as time ticked them through the contraction.

"It's too soon," Max whispered when the pain subsided, referring to the fact that the second contraction had only been about five minutes after the first one.  
Liz smiled and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I think they are in a hurry."  
But Max didn't respond to her smile with a smile of his own, his worried eyes tracing her features. "What should we do about them?"  
Liz's ears tuned in to the laughter and excitement coming from the living room, her smile growing larger. "I guess we should clear the area."   
Cradling his cheek, her small thumb brushing over his newly shaved skin, she murmured, "Relax. This is the good part."  
He mustered up a smile and turning his head in her hand, he kissed the soft surface of her palm. "Let's get this show rolling."


	62. Book 2 Epilogue

_A/N: I updated chapter 27 and 28 at the same time as the epilogue so if you have reached this chapter before reading the others, I suggest you take two steps back. Once again, thank you everyone for reading! I would appreciate if you would let me know what you think._

**Epilogue**

"Emma! What have I told you about feeding Princess at the table?"  
Emma was not the only one shrinking under Liz's scolding eyes as Liz walked further into the kitchen. Max looked up from pouring Tabasco on his donut, knowing that he would get some of that as well. Sure enough.  
"And Max, you were supposed to be watching her!"  
Max grimaced sheepishly. "Sorry."  
Liz rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the twins, only to shriek when strong arms enveloped her waist from behind pushing her off balance. Landing on his lap, she couldn't prevent the merriment, sipping through the connection to Max and her children, from betraying the disciplinary mother front she was trying to keep up.   
"Max!"  
"What?" Max asked innocently, pulling her upper body further backwards so that he could look down in her face.   
"Let me go!"  
Even without the connection, her sparkling eyes betrayed her words.  
"I think you need to lighten up, mom," Max grinned, and before she caught his intention his fingers crept around her abdomen and began to tickle her.  
"Get her, kids!" Max yelled.

"No, Max, no," Liz laughed, her laughter increasing in intensity as two six-year-old hands and the small fingers of the two two-year-olds poked her, knowing every ticklish spot thanks to their father. She knew what would come next, making her effort of trying to roll away even greater. But she didn't have a chance before her ears picked up on the anticipated barking from the miniature black poodle Princess that Emma had rescued two weeks ago and her screams were suddenly muffled by the Golden Retriever Boris that Emma had healed after the dog had been hit by a car one year earlier. The two cats that Emma had saved from being drowned in plastic bags six months ago jumped up on the dining table and knowing that the humans were occupied, they took a hold of the bacon on Max's plate and with combined effort pulled it to the floor.  
"No, Boris, get away," Liz gasped, trying to avoid getting dog saliva into her mouth, but finding it very difficult as she couldn't move her head much and the large dog made sure to cover her whole face.   
"Mom tickish," David screamed in delight.  
"Yes she is," Max agreed with his son with a grave expression, reserving the grin for Liz when he turned his eyes back to her face.  
Liz got her head away from Boris long enough to mouth a promise to Max. "I'm gonna kill you."  
"Love you," Max answered sweetly.  
"Lub you, mommy!" the boys chimed in.

-------------------------------------------------------

Max snaked his arms around her waist, meeting her eyes reflected in the mirror. "Are you still mad at me?"  
"For what?" Liz asked around a mouthful of toothpaste.  
"God, you're sexy," Max murmured, half sarcastic, half truthful.  
"Uh-huh," Liz replied and Max shook his head at her, knowing that she was trying to block her enjoyment of this conversation from him so that she could trick him into thinking that she was actually still angry for what had happened at the dining table this morning. Knowing exactly what he was doing, Max very slowly and seductively kissed the side of her neck  
"Why should I be angry? I love getting Tabasco in my hair and saliva all over my face."  
"I know you do," Max said against her skin and Liz admonished herself for letting the shiver of pleasure get to her. She was still unable to resist him and she knew that she would be true for as long as she lived.  
"You are teaching them very evil tricks," Liz continued, trying her best to keep the tremble out of her voice simultaneously as she tried to block her feelings of desire from reaching him through the connection.  
"That's my role in the family."  
"That's exactly my point," Liz said, her voice stronger, rinsing her mouth before turning in his arms. "You are making me into the bad guy and you are the fun one."   
Max smiled at her softly. "Come on, when has Max Evans ever been the fun one?"  
Liz smacked his chest. "I'm serious."   
Max's expression sobered and he cradled her cheek. "I know. I just can't be angry with them. I love them so much."  
Liz's expression softened. "Max, I know you love them and that it's difficult to scold them. But they are kids. They need rules and borders otherwise they will turn wild."  
"Oh…yeah, I watched this episode of 'Super Nanny' the other day and-"  
Liz's finger on his lips interrupted him. "Just help me with this, okay?"   
"Okay," Max nodded and captured her lips, unable to control himself any longer. He would never get tired of kissing her. Come to think of it, if he could do just that for the rest of his life he would be content. He loved feeling the vibration of her energy, her essence, under his fingers as he slid them over the exposed skin of the small of her back. He would never get enough of her.

He loved how her soft hair billowed around them when they made love. He loved that she would speak in the middle of the night, making verbal shopping lists and then deny it in the morning. He loved how she always fell asleep in front of a late night movie and how she would naturally curl up as close to him as she could get on the couch. He loved how she would spin David and Andrew in the air, laughing as much as they would. He loved how she would kiss Emma's forehead whenever she had the chance, even if it happened to be in the middle of eating dinner. Clutching her petite frame closer, he knew he was the happiest man on Earth.  
But her sudden unresponsiveness to his loving administrations brought him back from the land of sensations, the chill he felt pass over the connection making him break the kiss and take a step back. He shivered when he met her unseeing, staring eyes.  
"Liz?"  
Taking a hold of her upper arms, he shook her lightly. "Baby?" The shakings grew in intensity when she wouldn't respond. He tried to read her through the connection, but it was closed and cold.

Not again, he thought wildly, shaking her again. The whole thing only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was enough to get Max into a wild frenzy. Liz blinked slowly, repeatedly, her eyes refocusing on his face.  
"Max?"  
Max crashed her close to him, melting their bodies together as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Max, you're crushing me."  
Reluctantly, he pulled away. "What happened? You disappeared."  
"I-I saw something," Liz stammered, still trying to make sense of what she had seen.  
Almost afraid to speak the words, knowing that it had almost killed her the last time, Max asked, "Was it a premonition?"  
Liz nodded slowly. "I think so."  
They had both thought it was gone. She hadn't had a premonition since she had been in the warehouse almost three years ago and they had thought that maybe it had been connected to something else. Memories of conversations with Kira flooded Max's mind, the words echoing over the connection to Liz. Kira telling them that the power of being able to see into the future was good in an Antarian but acted like virus in the human, breaking down the immune system.  
Liz shook her head as the remembered words whispered in her head. "But I'm okay this time. I felt in control."  
Max frowned, relieved but still suspicious. Was she really okay? He could hear the resounding yes from her body in his head and he had seen for himself how she this time had just become unresponsive and not breaking down like that time in the warehouse. Maybe him bringing her back from the dead for the second time on Antar had changed her even more, made her more alien and more capable of controlling the power. 

However, being so caught up in making sure that she was not injured from the premonition, they had momentarily forgotten about the content of the premonition.  
"What was it about?" Max questioned, instinctively bracing himself for the answer.  
Liz furrowed her forehead. The images had been very impressionistic, but she had seen the outlines of a child. She dug deeper, feeling increasingly anxious about finding the answer.  
"I saw a child," she murmured, more to herself than to Max, "It's a girl. She… She has…" A soft singing voice drifted through her mind, a slippery memory from the premonition and her heart almost came to a complete halt.  
"Where's Emma?"  
Max's eyes widened with fear. "She's taking a bath."  
"Oh no," Liz whispered, brushing past Max with the image of water and music suddenly blazingly present in her memory.  
Max ran after her to the bathroom, fearing the worst as he entered the bathroom, mere inches behind Liz.  
"Mom? Daddy?"  
Emma looked up at them, foam in her hair, on her face and most of her body, as she tried to find the right radio station on the portable radio balancing on the edge of the bathtub. Upon hearing her parents, her hands had left the apparatus and before her eyes, Liz saw the beginning of the premonition play out as the radio started to slide. She didn't know she could move that fast, but it was with an anguished scream that she rushed forward and pulled the radio backwards by the cord, away from the water and away from electrocuting her daughter.

"Oh Emma," Max whispered, falling to his knees next to the bathtub and pulling his foamy daughter against his chest.  
"What's wrong?" Emma asked in a small voice, feeling the fear and relief wash over the connection in waves.  
"Baby," Liz murmured, grabbing Emma's wet head and desperately plastering kisses over her face. If she hadn't felt the desperation in her parents, Emma would've most likely protested to her mother's kisses.  
"Mommy? You're scaring me," she said instead, speaking up to get their attention.   
"You should've told me that you wanted to listen to music and I would've helped you," Max said, guilt fleeting through his voice. Liz stroked her daughter's hair back, her eyes flickering over her daughter's pretty face.  
"It is very dangerous to put something with electricity in it close to water," Liz explained, her hands trembling from what could have happened. "If the radio had fallen into the bathtub, you would've gotten hurt."  
Fear entered Emma's eyes and Liz kissed her forehead. "It's okay, baby." She inhaled deeply. "It's okay now."  
"I just wanted to do it on my own," Emma whispered, tears lacing her voice.   
Max grabbed Liz's hand to calm himself down, while his other hand brushed some foam away from Emma's face. "We'll help you, okay? Ask us first and we'll figure out together what we need to help you with… You are a big girl now, Em. But you still need us to help you with some things."  
Emma bit her lower lip, nodding. "Okay."  
"I love you, sweetie," Liz said, the trembling gradually loosening its grip on her body.  
"Love you too, mommy," Emma answered.

Years had passed since Emma had been taken from them, but a piece of her innocence was forever lost to her. She had finally started to return to a semblance of normal. Her nightmares had disappeared and the house was filled with animals of all types as a testament to how she was no longer afraid to embrace her natural instinct to help others. She was a responsible young girl who took good care of her twin brothers, watching them with a hawk eye whenever they went outside; her fierce over-protectiveness the only visible remaining sign of the trauma she had suffered while being held captive and experiencing deliberately excruciating pain. Her childhood had been taken from her during those days on Antar, but some of it had been given back to her through laughter and play as she grew up with her parents and her little brothers. She would become a special girl, in more ways than one. Having been forced to grow up too quickly, and with otherworldly genetics and abilities, she was wise beyond her years. She weighed every decision, choosing every path in her life with the utmost care. But she went on to make them all proud, finishing medical school at the top of her class and going on to do what she loved doing most: helping others. One day she would even find that special someone who she could trust deeply enough to reveal parts of herself that only her family and some of her parents' friends knew about. He would be shocked at first, but his love and adoration for her would make him see past the fear of the unknown and they would get married, having two beautiful children.

The boys grew up feeling loved and secure. They only felt physical pain in the sense of scratched knees and blisters from outgrown shoes. That faraway planet only existed in their minds in the form of a bedtime story their big sister used to tell them. It was a world where people very similar to them fought a war for freedom and the right to feel, a world where good overcame evil. It was a world they would never see with their own eyes. They were surprised when they discovered their powers, their surprise quickly turning to their advantage; their common ability to read thoughts was something that was greatly misused in their teenage years to charm girls. But they eventually grew up as well. David became a wildlife veterinarian where he could display his love for animals by trying to save as many as possible from extinction. Andrew painted his first painting at the age of three and the house was soon thereafter filled by immense number of oil paintings, charcoal drawings, pencil drawings and clay statues. By the age of seventeen he gained an international reputation for being an aspiring young artist with an incredible imagination. His art depicted a planet he had never seen but which still nurtured his imagination with memories of thick water and a red sun.

Maria and Michael got married one week after David and Andrew's birth, combining their wedding with Max and Liz's. After trying to get pregnant for a year, Maria received the medical opinion that she was unable to bear children. With a somewhat intimidated husband in tow, she applied for adoption and was blessed with a two-year-old girl eleven months later. Michael found himself sitting next to the cradle during long nights to watch his daughter sleep and calling Max over to heal the child at every small sniffle. 

Isabel was the one to propose to Alex, frightening everyone with her thorough preparation for the wedding which resulted in a combined sigh of relief from everyone involved when the wedding came to an end. They had four children, all with blonde curly hair. They grew up being scolded by their mother for scaring David and Andrew in their sleep after they acquired the ability to transform themselves into monsters through dreamwalking.

Max and Liz remained inseparable. They watched their children grow up and enjoy life. After a while they stopped looking over their shoulder, secure in the knowledge that no enemies from outer space were coming to hunt them down. They were separated by flesh on the day they died, only to have their souls reunited and entwined seconds later. Their souls remained as one until two new babies were formed, one in the Southern hemisphere and one in the Northern. Their need to be together, to love each other, to complete each other, reached out across the globe and brought them together again.

And so it will continue until the end of time.

THE END


End file.
